Made To Be Broken
by xHalosandwings
Summary: It's a new era in TNA, but Leah and AJ are two constants in an ever changing company. When the friends become something more, new faces and old problems arise, is it possible for the new couple to function? Or is the new era really the end? AJStyles/O.C
1. You're Gonna Go Far, Kid

Hello new fic :)  
I don't write OC fics very often, but I've had this idea for AGES and I really wanted to write a TNA fic, as I love TNA.  
Seeing as it is an OC fic, the only person I own is Leah Willis, the rest are TNA.  
Please leave a review, and tell me whether you like it - or not.

* * *

**YOU'RE GONNA GO FAR, KID**

**

* * *

**

Leah Willis was not happy.

Her flight from Tacoma to Orlando had been delayed by over two hours. To make matters worse, she was downgraded on the plane and stuck between possibly the worst smelling baby in the world and the most overweight man in the world. Not to mention there was turbulence. Lots of turbulence.

Despite the fact it was now four in the morning, Leah felt the warm Floridian air hit her as she stepped outside the airport, dragging her suitcase along the sidewalk. Despite the large amount of time she spent in this city, she didn't think she'd ever get used to the hot conditions.

The brunette put down her bag, and sat down on the edge of the curb, before digging her cell phone out of her pocket. Just as she was about to call for a cab, she noticed a very familiar car parked on the roadside.

As she approached the car, she grinned, before tapping on the window to wake her friend from his sleeping state. "AJ?"

AJ rubbed his eyes, before blinking a couple of times and looking up at Leah.

"What the hell are you doing here?"Leah laughed at her drowsy friend.

"I was going to pick you up, but your flight was late." AJ explained, getting out of the car and giving his friend a hug. "It's great to see you again."

"I missed you." Leah buried her face into his shoulder.

"You ready to go?" AJ pulled away, and picked up Leah's suitcase, putting it in the trunk of his car.

"Yeah." Leah scrambled into the passenger seat of his car. "Do you mind if we stop for food? I'm starving."

Everyone knew AJ Styles as the heart and soul of TNA, and everyone knew Leah Willis as the original knockout, both there from the very beginning. Very few people, however, knew them as best friends. Over the years, they'd developed a strong friendship, and both could tell each other anything. But there was one thing Leah couldn't tell AJ.

She was beginning to fall in love with him.

* * *

"So how was Tacoma?" AJ asked, speeding down the freeway, as Leah sat in the passenger seat eating Taco Bell burrito.

"It was fine." Leah replied, wiping her fingers on a napkin.

"And your mom?"

"She-she's not so good." Leah focused out on the road ahead, finding it difficult not to stutter her words. She found it very hard to talk about her Mom's illness, even to her best friend.

As the car reached a red light, AJ reached over and squeezed his friend's hand. "It's gonna be okay, y'know. You're mom's a strong woman, just like you."

"It's hard to be strong when you're watching your once independent mother in a hospital bed, unable to look after herself." Leah screwed up her Taco Bell wrapper and threw it on the floor.

AJ looked over at her, realising she didn't want to talk about it anymore. He grinned. "God, you're messy. Don't bring your untidiness into my car."

"I'm not messy; you're just a clean freak." Leah slapped his chest lightly, as AJ started driving again. She was happy to go along with the 'everything's okay' facade. "Besides, I'll pick it up."

"You'd better. The last thing I need is your grubby wrappers clogging up my car."

"Easy there, sweet cheeks." Leah picked up the wrapper and held it in the air. "God, you're a drama queen."

* * *

A companionable silence settled in the car, and Leah reached over to turn on the radio. She couldn't help but smile as The Offspring's '_You're gonna go far, kid' _came through the speakers. A laugh escaped AJ, as he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat. He wasn't much of a singer, but he made an exception.

Leah was first to get the ball rolling._ "Now dance, fucker, dance, m__an, he never had a chance..."_

"..._And no one even knew, it was really only you." _AJ finished. They knew this song word for word, even occasionally listening to it before going out to the ring.

"_And now you steal away..."_

"_...Take him out today..."_

"_...Nice work you did..."_

"_...You're gonna go far, kid..." _Both began laughing at the song they knew oh so well.

"God you're a terrible singer." Leah grinned, as AJ pulled up outside Leah's apartment.

"You're not exactly Mariah Carey either." AJ smiled, getting out of the car and grabbing Leah's suitcase for her. They both stood on the curb, waiting for one to say something to the other, though neither was sure exactly of what.

"Thanks." Leah eventually said, giving AJ a hug.

"For picking you up?" AJ questioned, although he knew what she was talking about. He wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"That too." Leah said, pulling away. "You're my best friend, AJ. And not a lot's gonna change that."

"Don't get soppy on me, Leah." AJ mock punched her arm. "I'll see you in the morning. We're training together, right?"

"Yeah, definitely." Leah replied, making her way towards the front door. "Pick me up at nine, right?"

"Absolutely." AJ stuck up a thumb, before making his way back to his car.

Leah hadn't been in her house in a few days, but it felt so empty, so unlived in. The only familiarity was her greyhound dog Benzo in his basket, sleeping.

"Benzo." Leah said to the sleeping dog, before picking him up out of the basket and taking him over to the window. She pointed at AJ's car, which was pulling away. "That's AJ leaving. You know AJ? He's-"

Benzo simply made a groaning noise, uninterested in anything Leah said.

"God, I must be going crazy." Leah muttered, putting the dog down. Talking to your dog must be the first sign of insanity. Leah decided to blame it on jetlag.


	2. What If

Hope you enjoy :) Please leave a review, good or bad :) X

* * *

**WHAT IF**

**

* * *

**

"Leah, get in here!" AJ called from Leah's living room, as the brunette worked her ass off in the kitchen, clearing up the dishes from the meal she made her friends. Entertaining guests was not her speciality, and she felt a wave of relief rush over her as she knew her main priority now was not to break any plates.

"What is it?" Leah ran over, still wearing a pair of rubber gloves, her eyes glancing around the circle of people. AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe, Frankie Kazarian, Christy Hemme and Traci Brooks; these were her best friends not only in TNA, but her best friends in life.

"It's Hulk Hogan on Impact." Frankie responded, his arm slung around fiancée Traci's shoulder, as the group watched Hulk on the TV, strutting into Madison Square Garden with his usual swagger.

"You don't think he's-" Leah whispered her eyes fixed on the screen.

"_-my new business partner Dixie Carter._" Any chatter in Leah's living room died, as all eyes fixed on the television, in awe of what the wrestling legend had to say.

"He's joining TNA." Traci was the first to speak, as everyone managed to avert their eyes from the screen. She first looked over at Frankie and then at the rest of the group. "Hulk Hogan is joining TNA."

"This is insane." Christy muttered, before plastering a smile on her face. "But it's gonna be good for TNA, right?"

No-one knew exactly what to say, as an awkward silence settled among the usually chatty friends. Their jaws were practically scraping against the carpet.

"Were Dixie and Jeff ever planning on telling us?" Ever the pessimist, Joe was the first to speak. "Or were we just gonna have to show up at the tapings and see Hulk there?"

"Who knows?" Leah sat down on the edge of AJ's armchair, letting him lean his head against her shoulder, before saying to him "You don't seem too happy."

"Sorry, I'm just-" AJ furrowed his brow. "Shocked. Very shocked."

* * *

The group had slowly began leaving, until Leah was left in the kitchen, washing up the dishes by the sink with only her thoughts and Journey playing on the radio. Despite the buzzing thoughts in her heard, she couldn't help but sing along to the ever-infectious classic.

"_Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world._" She bobbed her head to the piano.

"-_She took the midnight train going anywhere." _Leah spun around on her heel to see AJ stood by the kitchen door, holding his jacket in his hand.

"What're you still doing here?" Leah asked curiously. "I thought you left."

"I thought you might need some help with the dishes." He joined her by the sink. "So what do you need me for? Washing or drying?"

Leah couldn't help but smile back at the cute grin on his face. "Well as exciting as it would be to see you in a pair of pink rubber gloves, I suck at drying, so that'll be your job."

The pair went to work on the remaining plates, however despite their light chitchat, there was one topic of conversation that was hanging over both their heads, and neither knew how to bring it up.

"So, Hulk Hogan in TNA." Leah was the first to say anything. "I certainly didn't see that coming."

"Me neither." AJ commented. "And I'm not entirely sure if I like it."

"What do you mean?" Leah laughed, almost in disbelief at her usually optimistic friend. "This is the guy that put professional wrestling on the map, and he's joining _our_ company. Surely it can only mean good things?"

Leah always referred to TNA as hers and AJ's company; sure, they weren't share owners or anything, but they'd been there from the beginning, and had worked damn hard to make it a success, through their blood, sweat and tears.

"I guess. But TNA's been doing just fine, so why do we need him now?" AJ shrugged.

"I think someone's scared of a little change." Leah clipped AJ's ear lightly. "Besides, you're the world heavyweight champion, it's not like you're going to lose your job. And really, what's the worst that could happen?"

He thought for a moment. "We could get a four-sided ring."

Leah let out a fake gasp. "Four sides? Oh dear God no!" She paused, removing the pink gloves from her hands. "Listen, I'm bored of washing dishes. What do you say we watch some TV?"

AJ nodded. "As long as it's not-"

* * *

"-The Bachelor?!" AJ groaned, as Leah sat down, grinning in front of the TV. "You're kidding, right?"

If the other wrestlers knew of her secret viewing pleasure, she'd be dead; however after all their years of friendship, she assumed her secret was safe.

"The Bachelor?" AJ repeated. "No way, José." He grinned, before swiping the remote out of Leah's hand and holding it high in the air.

"Bastard!" Leah squealed, swatting for the remote.

"You'll have to fight for it now."

The two entered into a brief chase around Leah's living room in a fight for TV dominance – much to Benzo's fascination - however it was AJ that fell first, flopping down onto the couch, and pulling Leah down with him, allowing her to pin down his wrists.

"Do you submit?" Leah cackled, her hands pinning down his wrists. "Forfeit the remote, AJ!"

For a brief moment, the laughter stopped, and the room fell silent, the only sound heard being Leah and AJ's heavy breathing. Underneath her, Leah could fell the rising and falling of AJ's chest, and his heartbeat quickening.

A rush of awkwardness fell over the pair, as Leah quickly scrambled off his lap, letting him sit up. "I guess it's alright for you to watch Sports Center."

"Thanks." He muttered back, however neither of them were focused on the TV anymore. "Hey, do you mind if I crash here for the night? Joe's my ride and I said he could go."

"Sure." Leah bit down on her lip, as she watched AJ settle down, and focus his attention on the TV screen.

_What are friends for? _


	3. Things Change

**THINGS CHANGE**

**

* * *

**

"Jeez, slow down." Chris Daniels laughed, as he watched Leah throw back another shot in one slick movement. Considering her fairly petite 5'6 frame, she could drink most guys under the table.

Leah leant back against AJ, who was talking to Joe. She clinked her glass against Chris', and drew it towards her lips, before realising it was completely empty.

"God, you're wasted." Chris commented.

"I feel like celebrating! I'm next in line for a Knockouts title shot therefore all is right in TNA again." Whether it was the alcohol or not, she was deliriously happy and had a feeling that tonight would be a _very_ good night.

"So it would seem." Chris muttered.

"What's your problem?" Leah asked. There was nothing rude about her question, she was just, as Chris said, wasted.

Chris huffed slightly, resting his forehead against the palm of his hand.

"You're worrying me, Chris." Leah said, despite the fact she was in a state of complete giddiness, and nothing could have fazed her. "You can tell me _anything_ and you know that."

"Okay." He paused. "Well, Lisa and I have been going through some problems recently, and we got into this huge fight, and I'm now filing for a div-"

"I love this song!" Leah cut Chris off mid-word with an excitable squeal, as she leapt out of her seat and began shimmying to _Love Game_.

"I thought you hated Lady Gaga?" Joe inserted a knowing smile on his face.

"Oh yeah." Leah frowned, sitting back down again. "Oh well." Yep, she was wasted.

"Whatever, I'm going to get another drink." Chris sighed, getting up and walking towards the bar.

"Anyone else want one?" Joe asked, standing up.

"Me!" Leah raised her hand elementary-school style. "I'll have a-" Joe cut her off with a laugh, before following Chris to the bar. "Well, that was rude."

"I think you've had enough of those." AJ grinned.

Leah turned to him and ran a hand through his hair. "It's soft." She observed aloud. "Very soft, actually."

"Thanks?" AJ laughed sarcastically. He signalled at Leah's short black dress. "I didn't know you had legs." He was so used to seeing the tomboy in sweats or jeans; it was odd to see her so dressed up.

"Shocker, right? Besides, Christy told me I _had_ to wear it, and she hasn't even bothered to show up."

"Well, you look great. Then again, you always do."

"What about that time I split my lip _and_ got a black eye during a match with Roxxi?"

"That was one hell of a shiner, wasn't it?" AJ grinned, slinging an arm around Leah's shoulder, allowing her to rest her head against his shoulder.

There was a pause before either of them spoke again, and it was Leah that was first to break the silence. "What do you say we get out of here? Just the two of us?"

AJ looked directly at her, before downing his beer in one swift movement. He knew _exactly_ what she meant. "You sure you want to do that?"

"Oh definitely." Leah held out a hand for AJ to take, before leading him out of the club. Shortly after, Joe and Chris both returned to the table, holding confused expressions on their faces.

"Where'd they go? Leah's bag's gone." For some reason, Chris couldn't stop his heart from sinking, and he wasn't sure why.

Joe took a moment before saying through his laughter. "AJ is _so_ going to get laid tonight."

* * *

"So here we are." A lazy smile returned to Leah's face, as she arrived at her front door. AJ was supporting her by clutching her elbow in his hand, his other supporting her lower back so she didn't fall over. She was sobering up, after AJ stopped at a gas station and bought about five bottles of water for Leah to drink on the ride home.

"Here we are." AJ repeated. "You got your key there?"

"Somewhere in here." Leah fumbled in her handbag, before holding up her key triumphantly. "It's here."

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." AJ kissed Leah on the cheek, before making his way back to his car.

"AJ! Wait!" Leah called, running up to him and pulling him around by the arm so he was facing her.

She became very aware that the distance between them was getting smaller and smaller, and her hands were resting against his chest.

"Let me say my bit." Leah pressed a finger against AJ's lips. "I've got these feelings for you, these feelings I have no idea how to deal with-"

"Leah,"

"It's not the alcohol talking, because I've been feeling like this for a really long time, and I want to kiss you so bad, but I can't, because we're friends, and I don't want to ruin things-"

Leah's voice trailed off; as she felt AJ's lip lightly kiss her finger. Leah moved her finger away and replaced it with her lips. The feeling of AJ's lips on hers was almost a relief, releasing all her pent up emotions from the past few weeks.

Gripping the back of Leah's thighs, AJ hitched her up so her legs were wrapped around his waist. He carried her to the front door, where she fumbled a bit, before finally getting into her house. AJ didn't even bother to take her up to the bedroom, instead just placing her down on the couch. Leah knew was what coming, as he practically ripped off his own clothes before getting to work on hers.

Leah rested her hands either side of AJ's neck, before pulling his lips down onto hers.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" AJ asked.

"I don't think I've ever been surer of anything in my life."


	4. Aftermath

Thanks to everyone who's favourited/reviewed :)  
Please leave a review again  
:) X

* * *

**AFTERMATH **

**

* * *

**

Waking up next to AJ, Leah couldn't decide on how she was supposed to feel. Her emotions were all over the place, and she was unsure of why. She was happy, but the pit of her stomach was filled with nervous butterflies; she couldn't even begin to imagine what AJ felt. Not that he was feeling anything, as he lay asleep, his chest slowly rising and falling as he breathed.

Leah tried to move, but she couldn't, as AJ's arm was clamped down over her waist. She decided to just stay in that moment, and enjoy the peace.

Eventually, the peace was broken, as a groan escaped AJ's lips, and his eyes slowly opened. He looked around Leah's bedroom, briefly confused, before locking eyes with her and smiling, as if everything had come flooding back.

"Good morning." Leah said with a hopeful smile on her face.

"Right back atcha." His voice was quiet, as he sat up and rubbed his eyes, before turning back to his beautiful friend. "So, should we talk about it?"

"Probably." Leah's smile was no longer hopeful, but holding an element of stress, in the worry that she'd get completely shot down. She couldn't help but add; "So how was it for you?"

AJ laughed. "Good. Very good." He paused. "But y'know, sex is one thing, but this is us, Leah; we're best friends, and this could totally confuse things between us."

"It could?" Leah asked, innocently, despite the fact she knew _exactly_ what he was talking about. She sat upright, so she was shoulder-to-shoulder with AJ, before looping her arm through his and resting her head against his shoulder. "You're my best friend, and I care about you a lot-"

"Best friends don't do what we did." AJ pointed out.

"Is that such a bad thing? I mean, I've always cared about you, but the way I've cared about you for the past few weeks is a lot different to the way I have in the past."

"The past few weeks?" AJ looked stunned.

"You're not just my best friend anymore, AJ, you're something-"

Before Leah could finish, her lips were captured by AJ's, as he caught her with a passionate kiss, his hands cupping her face as he did so.

"You're right," AJ began. "Friends _don't_ do what we did, and that definitely isn't a bad thing."

"So what does this mean for us?" Leah asked.

"I guess I wanna be with you." AJ nodded, as if coming to terms with things. "But I don't wanna rush things, why don't we just... take it slow?"

"When has slow ever been in your vocabulary?" Leah rolled her eyes. "But slow sounds good."

AJ supported the back of Leah's neck with his hand, before kissing her on the forehead. "I have a good feeling about this."

"Me too."

* * *

"I propose a toast! To girls night out!" Traci Brooks held up her shot glass triumphantly, as she, Leah, Christy Hemme and Taylor Wilde clicked their glasses together, before chugging the sour liquid. It was rare in such a male dominated business to have 'girl time', so Leah was blessed to have such great girlfriends.

"And-" Christy continued; girlfriend could _not_ handle shots. "-three out of four of us are single! I'm thinking it's time for a manhunt."

Leah felt the colour rise in her cheeks. It had only been a day, so she hadn't exactly gotten around to telling her friends about the fact that she and AJ were a couple. She wasn't hiding it, but she wasn't exactly shouting it from the rooftops either; that definitely wouldn't be taking it slow.

"So, have you seen anyone you like?" Taylor turned to Leah, who was glad the club was reasonably dark, so she could hide her glowing red face.

"Umm, not really." Leah took a slug of her drink. "What about you?"

"Leah, he's totally your type." Traci cut in before Taylor could even answer. She signalled over to a slightly muscular blonde guy over by the bar. "Go talk to him."

"No, I don't think-"

"Don't be such a fun-sucker." Christy whined. "If you don't go talk to him, then I will, because he's-" The redhead didn't even finish her sentence, as she just managed to heave herself up from the table and stumble over to the attractive blonde guy. The three remaining knockouts winced at each other.

"Perhaps I should go and make sure she doesn't throw up on him." Traci rolled her eyes, and began walking over to Christy, leaving just Leah and Taylor. All the pair had to do was look at each other, before bursting into giggles.

Though she hadn't known Taylor as long as the other TNA knockouts, Leah had always felt like they had a strong bond. They were close in age – Leah was only two/three years older - but Leah definitely found herself playing big sister to Taylor. Also, being a TNA 'original' meant Leah took Taylor under her wing when she first joined the company; ever since, they'd been inseparable.

"So what's up with you?" As the laughter at Christy finished up, Taylor leant back in her chair and ran a hand through her blonde hair. "You seem... different."

"What do you mean?" Leah shrugged. "I'm fine."

Taylor bit her lip and winced slightly, before opening her mouth. "Listen Leah, I know about you and AJ."

"What about me and AJ?" Leah exclaimed – how the hell did anyone know about her and AJ?

"Don't play dumb, Leah. You're too clever to act like the idiot." She laughed. "Joe and Chris put the pieces together when you guys left together the other night. And you know what Joe's like; can't keep anything to himself. He was definitely a Queen Bee in his past life."

"Joe and Chris." Leah couldn't help but smile.

"Well, mostly Joe. Chris was weirdly quiet when I saw him the other day." Taylor paused. "So it's true, then? You are AJ are-"

"Oh my God!" Leah's eyes widened in horror. "I think Christy just threw up over that guy."

"Oh my God!" Taylor screwed up her face. "Do you think Traci needs a hand over there?"

Leah screwed up her face in disgust, much like Taylor. "I'm not touching _that_."


	5. False Smiles

Please read and review :)

* * *

**FALSE SMILES**

**

* * *

**

"Good morning." As Leah opened her eyes, she looked up and realised AJ was already awake, sat upright and looking down on her. She wasn't used to waking up next to someone, and everytime she saw AJ there, it momentarily scared the life out of her.

"Hey." He smiled, quickly looking away when he realised that she caught him staring. His eyes focused out of the windows, as the sun bounced off the glass.

"Were you watching me sleep?" A smile broke onto Leah's face, as she rubbed her weary eyes.

"What can I say? You're very beautiful when you sleep." He pushed her fringe out of her face, so he could see her sparkling brown eyes.

"Unlike when I'm awake." Leah teased, poking AJ in the chest. "Then I'm an ugly cow."

AJ lay back down on his side so he was facing Leah. He ran a hand through her hair again. "I like waking up next to you."

"I wouldn't have slept with you if I knew you were going to turn soft on me." Leah grinned. "What happened to the old AJ?"

"What? I thought chicks dug the gentleman act."

"How about we mix the old AJ with the new one?" Leah suggested.

"Fine." He sighed. "You may look beautiful, but your dropkicks are sloppy and you need a shower."

"That's more like it." Leah grinned, however she paused to sniff her armpit, before shooting him a glowering look. "I don't smell! And if you ever tell me that my dropkicks are sloppy, you're going to get a slap in the face."

"And don't get me started on your pansy forearms-"

"Enough!"

* * *

Looking around the Impact Zone, Leah couldn't believe just how many of the wrestlers were there. The whole roster had come out to listen to Dixie Carter's supposed rip-roaring, uplifting speech about the future of TNA. Really? Leah had never been Dixie's biggest fan, and the feeling was perfectly mutual.

Leah knew if it were up to Dixie, she'd been gone from TNA, but luckily for her, it wasn't completely up to Dixie. Her history as a TNA original made her a huge hit with the fans, and Dixie knew she'd receive huge criticism if Leah were to go. Not to mention Leah's new found relationship with AJ and her long-lasting friendship with Jeff Jarrett made her very popular backstage.

"Does she never shut up?" A voice in Leah's ear said, and as she turned to her left, she saw Chris Daniels smiling at her.

"Tell me about it." Leah muttered, before turning to AJ on her right, who was enthralled by Dixie's words of wisdom. She grinned. "Someone's enjoying her speech a little too much. Perhaps he chose the wrong TNA knockout."

"She's married with kids." Chris commented under his breath.

"That didn't stop Tiger Woods." Leah stifled her giggles in the sleeve of her sweater, however AJ noticed, turning around to look at his girlfriend.

"Everything alright?" AJ whispered, slipping an arm around her waist and leaning back in his seat.

"Uh huh." Leah managed to get out, before turning back to Chris and burying her head in her hands as he laughed at her.

Word had got out about Leah and AJ, but oddly enough, nothing had really changed. No-one was treating them any differently; Joe still put Leah in a headlock everytime he saw her and Chris was the same sensitive, sweet guy he always was. The only difference was that she was getting more sex, which was never a bad thing.

"She's so motivational." Leah rolled her eyes sarcastically. Running a wrestling company and running an energy company were two _very_ different things, and Leah certainly knew which one Dixie did best.

A couple of seconds later, the whole studio filled with silence, as Dixie's speech finally came to an end, and the TNA president made her way out, and everyone else stood up to leave.

"How uplifting." Leah groaned, as she stood up. "Are you ready for a change in TNA?"

"There'd better not be too much of a change; I enjoy being able to kick a lot of ass." Joe grinned from behind Leah.

"Oh, Joe, you're so bad ass." Sarcasm was definitely high on Leah's agenda. "So what's everyone up to after the show tonight?" Much mindless chit-chat ensued about the evenings plans.

As the foursome made their way out of the Impact Zone and out to the parking lot, AJ stopped in his tracks and slapped Chris across the chest. "Dude, it's the fifth of November."

"Bonfire night? I totally forgot." Joe said, before innocently asking, "Are we going to roast marshmallows and set the sky alight with a sea of colour?"

"That sounds like fun." Leah chipped in. "Can we do that?"

"Guys, today is Lisa and Chris' wedding anniversary." AJ explained.

"Shouldn't you guys be doing the nasty tonight?" Joe grinned.

"Lisa's not coming into town." The happy, light-hearted mood was rapidly decreasing.

"Really?" Leah asked in disbelief. "But Chris, it's your anniversary!"

Chris closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them at looking at each of his friends in turn; Joe, then AJ, then finally settling them on Leah.

Leah reached out and rested a reassuring hand on his upper arm. "What's going on Chris?"

"Lisa and I are getting a divorce." Chris eventually announced, making his way towards his car. A silence settled among the friends, as none of the friends knew exactly what to say to comfort their friend. They didn't even know that Chris and Lisa were having problems.

"Dude..." Joe was the first to say anything. "We're sorry."

"Are you gonna be okay?" AJ asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just gonna go back to my hotel." Chris shrugged nonchalantly, slamming the car door behind him and speeding towards the exit of the parking lot.

"He's not okay, is he?" AJ observed.

* * *

"Leah, what're you doing here?" Chris was caught off-guard, as he noticed his friend stood at the door of his hotel room holding a bursting plastic bag. Tapings were over and he was expecting an evening of crap TV and mindless heartache. Instead, he got Leah.

She smiled lightly. "When girls are going through tough times, we get through it with chick flicks, ice-cream and wine." Leah held up the plastic bag in her hand. "Now I didn't think you'd be interested in chick flicks – because I'm certainly not - but I do have ice-cream. I brought beer and Triple X as well."

"You brought porn?"

"No, the film with Vin Diesel, and then the rubbish sequel with Ice Cube." Leah laughed. "You know I'd do anything for you, Chris, but bringing you porn is too weird, even for me."

"You're a good friend, Leah." He smiled.

"It's times like these when you need your friends." She paused. "And I like to think you'd do the same for me, right?"

"Right." Chris repeated. "So, come on in."

Leah pulled Chris in close, letting him wrap his arms tightly around her waist, as she buried her head in his shoulder. The way he held her, it was as if he were desperate; he longed for someone to be there for him. "It's gonna be okay, y'know." She said, muffled.

"Maybe." He responded, however as he closed the door, he knew that life outside the room didn't matter. At that point in time, Leah came first.

_She always had, and she always would. _

_

* * *

_Are you sensing the beginning of some drama? I certainly am...  
It's been plain-sailing so far, but it's about to get _very_ dramatic!!  
Leave a review and tell me what you think!


	6. Love Will Find You

Please review :)

* * *

**LOVE WILL FIND YOU**

**

* * *

**

For the whole of the TNA roster, the next few weeks were a blur. The entrance of Hulk Hogan meant new beginnings for everyone in the company, and new beginnings meant a much more hectic schedule. All they had to do before was show up for tapings and the occasional fan interactions, but it had been non-stop TV and radio interviews, not to mention _way_ more house shows, meaning way less spare time.

As Leah sat on the plane, she contemplated the wonderful Christmas that had just passed. Leah had gone home to Tacoma to spend the holidays with her family; however she'd had a special guest with her this year. She'd invited AJ along, and her whole family had pretty much fallen in love with him. Leah knew the situation with her family was complicated, but AJ was everything she'd hoped he'd be and more.

"Are you okay?" AJ came back from the bathroom and sat himself down in the seat next to Leah. "You looked miles away."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Leah smiled, focusing her attention back on her boyfriend. A comforting smile spread across her face. "Thank you for coming back to Washington with me. Everyone loved you."

"I've met your family loads of times before."

"Yeah, but you weren't my boyfriend any of the other times." Leah rolled her eyes, shooting AJ a 'Duh!' look. "Seriously though, most guys wouldn't have been able to help out with my mom, but you really were awesome."

"I get it, Leah. It's tough for your family." AJ rested his hand on top of Leah's, before bringing her hand up and kissing it. "I'm always gonna be here for you, Leah."

"Thanks." She rested her head against his shoulder, letting her eyes shut. "I think I'm just gonna get some sleep-" Before that plan could formulate, the sound of Leah's cell phone vibrating in her handbag awoke her from her drowsy state, as she reluctantly pulled out the sidekick and pressed the 'Receive Call' button. "Hello? She groaned.

"_Merry Christmas to you too." _Chris said sarcastically down the phone. _"What's your problem?" _

"Sorry, I'm on the plane, and it's been a long flight." She replied, trying her best to sound energetic. If she was honest, her Christmas break had been less the relaxing. It had been great, but getting up at all hours to help her ill mother wasn't exactly soothing, however it couldn't be avoided.

"_You're on the way back from Tacoma?"_ Chris asked, curiously. _"How's your mom?" _There were very few people that knew about Leah's mom, but Chris was one of very few people that did.

"She's been better." Leah muttered, never one to come to terms with her mom's illness. "But AJ's been real supportive, and my mom's officially in love with him."

"_AJ came back to Tacoma with you?" _

"Oh yeah, he's been so great this Christmas. I don't know how I'd have got through it without him." Leah laughed, before turning to AJ. "It's Chris; do you wanna speak to him?"

"Yeah sure." AJ nodded.

"_Is AJ there now?"_

"Yeah, I'll pass him on to-"

"_Actually I've gotta go, Leah, but hey, New Years at your house tomorrow, right?" _Chris said as his words were quick and garbled.

"Yeah, definitely."

"_Great I'll see you there." _He quickly hung up.

Leah looked down at her cell phone and twisted her lips into a confused pout. She then looked over at AJ and shrugged, before putting her phone away. _That was odd._

* * *

"Three minutes until midnight!" Traci Brooks called to the group, before going back to making out with Frankie Kazarian. As Leah watched the happy couple, she couldn't help but wonder what it was about fiancée's that made them so irresistible to each other.

Most of her friends on the TNA roster had come over to her house to celebrate the New Year, and Leah thought that once again, her hosting had been pretty good. She'd bought a couple of beer kegs specially, not to mention a refrigerator full of food and copious amounts of other alcoholic beverages. If she was going to see in 2010, she had to do it wasted.

As she looked over at the clock on the wall, her attention was caught by the man sitting underneath it. Despite all the fun she was having, she couldn't help by feel sad, as she looked over at Chris, who was currently being bullied into conversation by Joe.

"I wish I could cheer him up somehow." Leah frowned, resting her head on AJ's shoulder.

"He's been down for weeks." AJ agreed. "How exactly do you plan on cheering him up?"

A light bulb flicked on in Leah's head, before she suggested her idea to AJ.

"Seriously?" A look of realisation settled onto AJ's face. "You would do that for him?"

"Well no-one else is going to if he's sat with a scowl like that on his face." Leah laughed. "Do you mind?"

"I guess not." AJ shrugged. "I just hope he appreciates-"

"_10, 9, 8, 7..." _The room began chanting.

"I guess it's nearly show time." Leah grinned.

"_...3, 2, 1... HAPPY NEW YEAR!" _

"Happy new year, baby." Leah grinned and wrapped her arms around AJ's neck, before pulling her lips down onto his passionately. She'd never had a good New Year's kiss in the past, so she was pleasantly surprised.

"Happy New Year." He pulled away, before smiling. "I love you, Leah." That was the first time he'd said that, but as much as the thought had scared her in the past, hearing it wasn't so bad after all.

"I love you, too." Leah leaned in for another kiss, but AJ rested his hands on his shoulders, pushing her away.

"You've already made me happy enough." AJ's eyes darted over to where Chris was sat. "Why don't you go do the same for someone else?"

Leah squeezed AJ's hand one more time, before walking over to Chris. "Happy New Year." He said, a sad smile sitting on his lips. This wasn't going to be easy.

"You too." She grabbed one of his hands. "Come on, get up."

Chris allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. "What're you doing?"

"This." Leah placed her hands comfortably either side of Chris' face. "AJ loaned me out to you for a few seconds, so you'd better make the most of it."

She gently pulled his face in towards hers, and allowed her lips to rest on Chris', leaving them there for a few seconds, whilst Chris' arms sat on her upper arms. She pulled away and grinned, as he touched his lips in shock.

"Happy New Year, Chris. I hope 2010 will work out a lot better for you." She said innocently, before walking back towards AJ.

All Chris could do was stand dumfounded in shock, and watch as Leah walked back over to her boyfriend. The only thing that would have made that moment better were if she hadn't have left.


	7. The New TNA

Please review :)

* * *

**THE NEW TNA**

**

* * *

**

"They're joking, right?" Leah shook her head in disgust, as she looked around the dingy locker room. "This has got to be a practical joke."

After arriving at the usual knockouts locker room and discovering it was occupied, all the sixteen knockouts had been directed to another locker room, which Leah noted was _much_ smaller, and had an odd odour to it, which the women could only assume was what the male locker room smelt like.

"I don't think it's a joke, sweetie." The veteran Lisa Marie Varon - aka Tara – muttered, putting her gym bag down on the bench, and pulling out her tights in preparation for her match that night. Ever since arriving in TNA, Tara had been a mentor to some of the younger girls, especially Leah, with whom she'd develop a strong bond.

"No, don't get comfortable!" Leah insisted to all the women, that were already making themselves at home in the less than desirable surroundings. "Christy's gone to see what's going on, and we should be back in our usual locker room in no time."

Leah huffed. Perhaps this whole locker room issue was just annoying her because she was having a bad day. It was the January 4th episode of Impact – one of the most important yet – and she was involved in a triple threat match with ODB and Tara for the Knockouts Title. She knew she wasn't going to win, but the pressure was on for her to do a good job.

"Anyway, you've got a match to focus on." Tara continued. "The last thing you need is a distraction-"

"What's happening?" Leah asked as the locker room door opened, however the look on Christy's face told the entire story.

"Get used to it Leah, this is our new locker room." The backstage interviewer replied bitterly. "We've been replaced by some new arrivals."

"Who?"

"Scott Hall and Sean Waltman." Christy responded, sourness filling her voice as she talked about the WCW/WWE alumni. "Oh, and Nash is gonna be in there as well."

Leah could feel the anger bubbling inside her. "So a twenty-man locker room that once contained sixteen women, now contains three middle-aged has-beens, and the sixteen women are now in what appears to be a broom cupboard?"

Tara laughed. "That's professional wrestling for you." She received a series of confused expressions. "You've been working in a company where women are treated fairly, and with respect; that's working under Jarrett and Foley. You're working under Hogan and Bischoff now, and the knockouts are _not _their top priority. Welcome to the new TNA, ladies."

"I've got to do something." Leah said, desperately. "Wait, Kevin likes me, I've trained with Kevin before; maybe I could say something to him, and he could trade. I mean, this place isn't so bad." She lied.

"Good luck with that." Christy and Lisa scoffed in unison.

"So no-one's gonna help me out?" Every knockouts eye line dropped to the floor, as Leah scanned the locker room. "Taylor?" Leah looked over at her best friend, who didn't look happy about being singled out.

"I've got a match to prepare for, and so have you!" Taylor exclaimed.

"Please Tay," She looked pleadingly at her friend. "I need you."

"Fine," The blonde reluctantly got to her feet, and followed Leah out of the locker room and down to the old knockout locker room.

"Open up!" Leah banged her fists against the doors of the locker room, waiting for a response. She was fuming, and being polite wasn't her top priority.

"Calm down," Taylor said, soothingly to her friend. "It's gonna be okay-"

"What's all the noise about?" The door swung open, and out came a cocky – if not, slightly stoned-looking – Sean Waltman, who looked pleased to see the ladies. "Hey Scott, you said the bitches weren't coming until after the show!"

"They aren't supposed to be." Scott Hall's voice floated from the inside of the locker room, before he appeared in the door, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. "I'm impressed; the agency really pulled through-"

"We're not hookers!" Leah said in disgust. "I'm Leah Willis and this is Taylor Wilde; we're TNA knockouts."

Sean shot Scott a blank look. "They're TNA divas." Scott explained.

"No, we're TNA _knockouts_, and you've stolen our dressing room!" Leah yelled, wondering if these two men could be any more moronic.

"What's going on here, ladies?" Leah turned around and noticed Kevin stood behind her, the reassuring smile on his face that she'd always loved.

"Your 'boys' have taken our locker room, and now all sixteen of us have to fit into what appears to be a ten man locker room." Leah explained, before shooting Kevin the sweetest look she could. "You wouldn't mind swapping with us, would you?"

Kevin looked over at Sean, then Scott, then back at Leah, before erupting into laughter. Both Scott and Sean joined in, before all three men made their way into their locker room.

"Bastards." She scowled.

* * *

"I hate this!" Leah stormed into the men's locker room, and flopped down on the bench, folding her arms across her chest. She was still furious after the locker room incident, and wanted to talk to AJ; the other knockouts were bored of her bitching and moaning.

"Is this because you didn't win your match?" AJ asked, comfortingly sitting down next to her, allowing her to rest her head against his shoulder. "Because I watched it, and you kicked ass-"

"No, I hate the new TNA!" Leah exclaimed, standing up again, and pacing back and forth. "It sucks! If Hulk's going to bring in any more of his dirty old friends-"

"Dirty old friends?"

"I'm not a stripper, AJ, I'm a serious wrestler, but I'm being leered at left, right and centre, and being treated like I'm working in some sleazy strip joint! It's all of them; Scott, Sean, even Knobs!"

"You need me to have a word with them?" AJ asked, concerned for his girlfriend.

"I don't need you to defend me," Leah muttered defensively, twisted her hair around her fingers.

"I know you can, it's just-"

Leah held one of AJ's hands. "I'm just... venting. And have you seen what Hogan and Bischoff are doing to Jeff Jarrett ? How can they just cut him out of the picture?"

"It's crazy." AJ agreed, signalling over at the TV screen which showed a repeat of Jeff's encounter with The Hulk.

"I'm all up for change in TNA, but this isn't exactly what I expected." She kept her expression fixed on her friend's disappointed face on the screen. "Next thing you know, I'm gonna be defending my title against Brooke Hogan." She laughed, before letting it die away, and dragging her eyes to the ground. "Speaking of Jeff's, did you see that Hardy was back in TNA?"

AJ's expression told the entire story.

"What? One of us had to bring it up."

AJ paused. "Yeah, I saw. He's signing a contract later this week." Another pause. "How'd you feel about it?"

When Jeff Hardy was in his first TNA run, he and Leah were involved in a relationship; if you could call it a relationship. It was no-strings, and purely physical, but when he left for the WWE, Leah was pretty distraught. But that was years ago, and she was over it.

"I don't know." She shrugged. "But what I do know is I'm with you now, and I love you." She smiled. "Is that a good enough answer?"

Sure, there were changes in TNA, but she hoped there'd be one constant; that she and AJ would stay together. As she sat down next to him and allowed him to hold her close, she wondered how she'd cope if they fell apart.


	8. Wedding Bells

Slightly soppy, but I just wanted to involve Frankie/Traci's real-life wedding, and I wanted to do an update before the end of half-term.  
Please review :) XX

* * *

**WEDDING BELLS **

**

* * *

**

"I'm about to get married. Holy shit, I'm about to get married."

In the space of around ten minutes, Leah couldn't count the amount of times she'd heard Traci say that sentence; the bride looked petrified. Her three bridesmaids were waiting with her until they were called to the church.

"You must be excited." Gail Kim sat down in a chair next to Traci, and rested a hand on her shoulder. The WWE Diva and former TNA Knockout was a close friend of Traci's, and therefore took time out of her busy schedule to return for the wedding. Gail had also been a good friend of Leah's, and she was happy to see her back, if only for a day.

"Well, you look beautiful." Christy smiled, fixing her hair in one of the available mirrors. "I'm sure it'll be a beautiful wedding."

Were the other two women blind? Leah could tell there was something wrong with Traci; she wasn't acting right. It was her wedding day; she was supposed to be happy, and yet there she was, impatiently tapping her manicured nails against the table she sat at, and biting down on one glossy lip, as she looked out of the window of the bridal suite at the sidewalk below. She was scared.

"It's normal to have pre-wedding jitters." Leah said reassuringly from the other side of the room.

Traci's head snapped up, a concerned look on her face. She got up from her seat and walked towards Leah. "I'm scared, Le," She said, her voice little more than a whisper.

Leah was caught off-guard. She wasn't used to seeing Traci so vulnerable. Traci was the strong one. Traci was the one that did the comforting. Traci was the shoulder to cry on. "Why are you scared?"

"I'm about to get married, Leah, and I know it shouldn't scare me, but it does." Traci admitted, as Gail and Christy looked on in shock. "I'm one of those people that flip to the last few pages of the book to see what happens, because I like to know how it's going to end. I don't know what the future holds, and I don't like it because I'm not in control."

"Do you not realise that you are in complete control of your future?" Leah exclaimed, holding into Traci's shoulders. "You're about to get married, and it's going to be the best thing in the world. You've found that one guy that you want to spend the rest of your life with. You're still deciding where the rest of your life is going go, but it's even better now, because you're doing it _together._" Leah rubbed a thumb against Traci's cheek, wiping away a black mascara tear. "Now, you're going to go to the bathroom and clear up your make-up, and when you come out, you're going to have a smile on your face, because today is the happiest day of your life, and there are so many women that would kill to be in your position."

Traci shot Leah a look of both confusion, and mild admiration.

"Go on," Leah signalled over to the bathroom, and Traci obliged.

The room fell into silence, as Leah walked back over to the mirror where she'd previously been applying her make-up, and carried on. Christy's jaw practically grazed the floor, as she watched Leah, but it was Gail that was the first to say anything.

"Very motivational." The former knockout grinned. "I'm impressed."

"Thank you." Leah obviously didn't need to add blusher, as her cheeks were already rosy. "I think she needed to hear that."

"So when's your wedding?" Gail grinned; Leah's stunned expression only widening her smile. "Come on, Leah, you can't wait to get married. All you had to do was listen to you talk to Traci! You can't wait to be Mrs AJ Styles!"

"I-" Before Leah had a chance to argue her case, the bathroom door opened, and out came Traci, clean-faced, with a broad smile on her face.

The bride-to-be took a deep breath and slipped into her heels. "I think we'd better get going."

* * *

Leah held her stomach, as her laughter pains only increased. The three groomsmen – AJ, Joe and Chris – had the whole reception in hysterics, as they told friends and family about some of their antics with Frankie. The wedding itself had been beautiful, but there was something even better about the reception. It was so fun, so light-hearted, it was all about Frankie and Traci, and the fun that they shared together.

"...To Frankie and Traci!" Joe held up his glass in one final celebration to the happy couple.

"_To Frankie and Traci!_" The room chorused, before knocking back the champagne.

AJ sat back down next to Leah, and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "What did you think?"

"Not bad at all." She placed a kiss on his cheek, before turning to her left to talk to Chris. "And you, Daniels, you weren't too shabby either."

"Thank you." He gave a little bow.

Leah leaned over a placed a hand on Chris' neck, pulling him closer so she could whisper in his ear, "I get that this must be hard for you, but you're doing great." Leah quickly pulled away, and shot him a dazzling smile, a cover up for anyone else watching. "Am I right, or am I right?"

He simply nodded in response, before downing a second glass of champagne and starting a conversation with Joe next to him.

"So who's the next to get married?" Traci asked innocently, from the top of their table. No-one said anything, but everyone's eyes flickered to AJ and Leah.

"We've been together for a couple of months!" AJ laughed, however Leah noted he didn't deny it. "We're not there yet-"

"But one day you will be." Gail prompted. "Won't you?"

Six pairs of hopeful eyes gazed their way, as AJ and Leah simply smiled at each other.

"Maybe-"

"_Would Traci and Frankie please come to the dance floor to have their first dance as man and wife?" _The DJ's voice cut off both Leah and AJ, and suddenly, all eyes were focused back where they should've been; on Frankie and Traci. Leah smiled, as she watched the happy couple walk hand in hand to the dance floor.

Sure, one day she hoped that she'd have this; a white wedding, a loving relationship, maybe even a couple of kids-

"You want to dance?" AJ asked, as other couples retreated to the dance floor.

-She hoped that one day, she and AJ would have that, but until then, she was happy with things just the way they were.

She smiled. "I'd love to."

* * *

Quick question: Leah/Daniels or Leah/AJ ??


	9. Retaining Composure

Please leave a review :)

* * *

**RETAINING COMPOSURE**

**

* * *

**

A groan escaped from Leah's lips, as hitched herself up onto the medical bed in the doctor's office of the Impact Zone. Her match had been as brutal as expected, and sure, Kia Stevens was a sweetheart, but Awesome Kong was a monster in between the now four-sided ring.

Yep, Genesis had come around fast, and the hexagonal ring that TNA had been associated with for so long was gone, and Hulk and Bischoff had replaced it with a 'squared circle'. As much Leah wanted to get angry, she couldn't summon up the energy, as she cradled her sore ankle. Kong had definitely focused her attack in on Leah's ankle, and she was feeling the force.

"Okay," The doctor leaned over and rested his hands against the swollen area of Leah's ankle. "I'm going to put pressure on certain points, and say when I hit the painful part."

Leah nodded, and winced slightly at the doctor's cold hands touching her exposed flesh. She went from wincing at the cold, to swallowing at the pain, to letting out an ear-piercing yelp as he hit the area just above her heel. "That's it, right there!" She unintentionally yanked her foot away. "That's where it hurts."

"Well, it's definitely not broken." The doctor said, optimistically. "I think you just took a bad fall."

"I've got a match this Thursday; will I be able to wrestle?"

"It should be fine. Just go easy on it if you're training this week." The doctor advised, before saying something about checking up on Bobby Lashley, and scurrying out of the office, medical case in hand. As the doctor left, however, he ended up crossing paths with Christopher Daniels.

"What're you doing here?" Chris asked, as he came into the office, and picked up his backpack which he'd previously left in there.

"I hurt my ankle in my math against Kia."

"Are you gonna be okay?"

"I'll be fine, I just need to go easy on it." Leah paused. "I need a favour though. Can you help me get to AJ's locker room? He said I could watch his match against Kurt in there, but it's kinda hard to walk-"

"Yeah, sure." Chris placed an arm around Leah's waist, and let her wrap hers around his neck, before he hoisted her off the medical bed. "I'm not hurting you, am I?"

Leah shook her head, hobbling out on her healthy ankle. "I watched your match; I'm sorry you lost."

"It's fine." Chris shrugged. "You can't win 'em all. Or any of them in my case. I think TNA management are conspiring against me." He laughed lightly, making Leah unsure as to whether he was kidding or not.

"You'll get back up there; all of these new arrivals are only temporary."

"Yeah, because I'm the only guy stupid enough to stick around considering all the shit I've taken." Chris muttered bitterly, opening the door of AJ's locker room. "Am I just an idiot for putting up with so much crap?"

Leah could feel Chris' pain. He'd been in this company for years, and was so talented, yet never given that world title that he both desired and deserved. If she was completely honest, he had just as much talent as AJ, but not the same company support. "You're not the idiot," Leah sat down in one of the chairs, taking her attention away from AJ on the TV screen. "It's TNA that are the idiots for using you badly! You're one of the best wrestlers on the roster, and it's- oh my God, is that Ric Flair?"

Both Chris and Leah watched the final moments of the match, astounded; Ric Flair breaking up the pinfall, AJ hitting Kurt with the title belt, and then retaining the belt. Leah knew AJ was supposed to retain, and that was certainly not the plan. "That wasn't meant to happen." Leah whispered, breaking the silence that had fallen between her and Chris. "That wasn't-"

"Is AJ turning heel?" Chris asked, a confused look on his face, however before either of them could say anything else, an amused looking AJ entered the locker room, proudly brandishing his belt.

"Did you see me, Leah? Did you see me?" He sounded like an excited child. "I've got Ric Flair as my mentor now, Leah, isn't that great? You saw me, right?"

Leah couldn't help but feel an odd sense of disappointment growing in her stomach. "I saw you, AJ."

* * *

"Who the..." The sound of the doorbell ringing through the living room awoke Leah and AJ from their sleep, after the pair unintentionally drifted off on the sofa whilst watching TV. The loud bell was certainly a shock to both their systems. "It's one am." AJ groaned, resting his forehead in the palm of his hand.

"I'll get it." Leah got to her feet, and with a slight limp, she made her way over to the door.

Pulling the door open, Leah was shocked to see Traci stood on the doorstep. Traci was drenched from head to toe from the thrashing rain outside; her clothes and hair were dripping and her usually immaculate make-up was smudged across her face.

"I didn't know where else to come." She snivelled, the droplets on her face from both the rain and her own tears.

"AJ, go set up the guest bedroom for Traci." Leah had a feeling this was strictly girls business. "And can you make us some coffee, too?" Normally AJ would've told Leah where she could stick her requests, but this definitely wasn't the time, and he knew that.

Leah guided Traci onto the sofa, as the knockout shook like a leaf. They both sat down, and Leah placed an arm across her friend's shoulder.

"What's going on, sweetie?" Leah asked soothingly, pulling the damp tendrils of her hair off of her face. "You just got back off your honeymoon, did something happen?"

"It's Frankie." Traci's breaths were quick and uneven, as she struggled to pull herself together. "He's having an affair."


	10. Stuck In The Middle

Hope you're enjoying the story so far, and please leave a **review** and take the **poll** on my profile :) XX

* * *

**STUCK IN THE MIDDLE**

**

* * *

**

Leah gazed around the bar, expectantly, before picking up one of two glasses of water on her table, and sipping it.

After receiving a distressed text at eight am that morning, she was called into the dingiest bar in Orlando at ten am in the hope that no-one would see either of them there. He was shamed enough as it was, the last thing he needed was to be seen with one of his co-workers in what could be misconstrued as inappropriate. The place was empty, apart from the bored barman polishing glasses behind the counter. As she saw the door open, she smiled in Frankie's direction.

"Thanks for coming." Frankie took a seat opposite Leah. "I didn't know who else to call, and I assumed you knew where Traci was."

"She's staying at mine." Leah nodded, pushing one of the glasses of water in his direction. She sighed deeply; advice-giving wasn't her thing. She tried to be the best friend possible, but advice? She definitely didn't do the whole 'hair braiding and secret sharing' shtick.

"How is she?" He asked, despite the fact he knew the answer.

"How do you think she is?" Leah's voice was disapproving. "She crushed, Frankie. She's absolutely devastated. AJ and I didn't get any sleep last night because we could hear her crying through the walls all night. I should be drinking coffee, and Red Bull, not freakin' water."

"Do you think she'll hear me out?"

"She deserves to know the truth." Leah shrugged. She didn't want to get involved in their relationship, but both Frankie and Traci were her friends, and she just wanted what was best for both of them. "So? What's the truth?"

Frankie rubbed the back of his neck; Leah could sense his stress levels were rising. "I love her so much, and there's no-one I'd rather be married to, but I got scared. It all happened before the wedding-"

"You had an affair?" Leah confirmed.

"Have you seen the pictures on the internet? They're a bit of a giveaway." Frankie semi-joked, however Leah wasn't amused.

"You don't even realise how much she worships the ground you walk on. She was scared too. She was terrified, but she didn't-"

"You think this hasn't been killing me inside?"

"You think this has been easy on her?" Leah paused, her scowl softening. "God, if only you could go back a couple of months, right?" Frankie was unsure whether Leah was joking, however he allowed himself to smile.

For some weird reason beyond her own knowledge, Leah could understand why Frankie did what he had. Of course, she'd never do such a thing to AJ – or anyone she was with – however his fear led him to do something beyond his control. It wasn't acceptable, but it was understandable.

"I could put in a good word to Traci, but I'm not sure what it'll do." Leah shrugged, picking up her training bag. "There's not a lot I can do, it's mostly down to you."

"Thank you."

"I've gotta get going; AJ and I are training together."

"You guys seem really happy together." Frankie commented, walking towards the door with Leah.

"We are." Leah opened the door, the artificial glow of the bar replaced with the blinding Florida sun. "And I'm sure you and Traci will be again soon." She held out her arms, allowing Frankie to pull her in close, and brush his fingers through her hair.

"I hope so."

* * *

Rushing into the training ring, Leah began pulling out her tights, and slipping on her elbow pads. "I know, I know, I'm late, but something came up, and I-" The knockout stopped mid flow as she noticed a familiar figure stood next to AJ. "Ric." She said as kindly as possible, as Ric eyed her up and down.

All the legendary wrestlers had some shady stories about them, and Leah honestly wanted to like 'The Nature Boy', but there was something about him she just didn't trust, and she wasn't sure why.

"That's a pretty lady you got there, AJ." Ric said in typical Flair fashion. "A real looker."

"Thanks... I think." Leah muttered, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. "So shall we get on with the wres-?"

"She's a great wrestler, too." AJ insisted. "I've trained with her for years, taught her everything I know."

"Excuse me, mister." Leah prodded his chest with her finger. "I've taught you a few things, too."

"It'll take a lot to be better than AJ Styles," Ric chuckled, slapping AJ across the back in typically manly fashion. "This guy's got talent."

"Ric's said he'll mentor me now he's in TNA!" AJ sounded genuinely excited. "Isn't that awesome?"

Leah could feel her jaw straining as she attempted a smile. "That's... great." _What was it about Ric that made her so uncomfortable? _"So does this mean you're coming out of retirement?"

"I only retired from the WWE, not from wrestling." Ric responded. "I'm still young, and there's a lot left in me!" Leah wanted to remind him that he was a sixty one year old man that needed to let go and pass on the torch to some of the younger guys, however she restrained her bitterness. "So why don't you show me some of the stuff AJ taught you?"

"I'm a perfectly capable wrestler without AJ," Leah defended herself. "I'm not like these divas you're used to working with."

"I never doubted you, sweetheart." Ric smirked, before turning back to AJ. "She's feisty, too."

Leah wanted to punch his lights out.


	11. Unappreciated

Please enjoy, and leave a review :)

* * *

**UNAPPRECIATED**

* * *

"What's that smell?" As she came into her kitchen, Leah was shocked to notice Traci stood in front of the cooker. It was early in the morning, and Leah had to rub her eyes; she may have been sleepy, but she definitely wasn't dreaming; Traci _was_ in fact wearing an apron.

"Pancakes." Traci announced, signalling at a heaped plate on the kitchen table. "AJ was pretty hungry, but there's still plenty left."

"Where is AJ?" Leah asked, before poking a forkful of pancake into her mouth. She hadn't seen AJ that morning; he was awake before her.

"I'm not sure; he said he was going to see Ric." Traci replied. She sat down opposite Leah at the table, and opened up her laptop.

Leah sighed; AJ had been spending a lot of time with Ric lately, and she felt like she was competing with the Nature Boy for her boyfriend's attention. AJ was certainly close to his new mentor, and Leah wasn't quite sure how to prise him away; it wasn't like they'd had this problem before.

"He was wearing a nice suit, actually." Traci commented.

"Suit?" Leah wrinkled her nose; AJ wasn't much of a suit guy.

"Yeah, he looked real handsome." Traci looked up and observed the frown on Leah's face. "What? Just because my own marriage is crumbling, doesn't mean I'm gonna go after AJ!" She half-joked, still shaken by the state of her marriage.

"No, it's not that." Leah paused. "Do you...think AJ's changed? Since meeting Ric, I mean. He just seems..." Her voice trailed away, as she was unsure of what the end of that sentence was.

Traci pushed her laptop aside, and focused her attention onto her friend. "I think you'd be pretty excited if you'd been singled out to be mentored by a wrestling legend like Ric Flair."

Leah made a 'meh' sound; she'd never been that big a Flair fan.

"So if The Fabulous Moolah was still alive and she wanted to mentor you, you'd stay permanently attached to your partner?" Traci pointed out. "You know how much AJ idolises Flair, so just let him have his moment." Traci told Leah, wisely. "Can you do that?"

"I guess I could ignore his man crush for now," Leah rolled her eyes, before returning to her plate of pancakes.

"Good," Traci returned t her laptop. "Just leave your plates out on the side; I'll wash the dishes-"

"Trace,"

"I'm a guest in your house, Leah. Just let me do my share, okay?" Traci still wasn't ready to talk to Frankie yet – she scowled everytime Leah brought up his name – and was therefore still crashing at Leah's house whilst she cooled off. Despite Leah's best matchmaking efforts, she wasn't getting anyway.

"Alright, I'm going to go to the gym," Leah got up, closely followed by Traci. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah, sure, let me just go grab my-" Traci stopped, and sunk back down into the kitchen chair, her mouth dropping open slightly. She looked up at Leah, her eyes clouding over.

"What?" Leah asked.

"You've been meeting up with Frankie?" Traci's voice came out as little more than a whisper.

Leah was speechless; she'd failed to mention this to her friend in the past.

"Well, the pictures are here on the internet, so you can't deny it."

Leah walked over to her friend's laptop, and was greeted by the headline on one of the top wrestling websites reading '**LEAH COMFORTS FRANKIE OVER AFFAIR'. **Leah was stunned. She rested a hand on Traci's shoulder, however she brushed her away.

"I only met up with him one time." Leah admitted. "He wanted to know how you were, and I told him to give you some space, because you weren't ready to talk to him. After that I haven't seen him." She decided against telling Traci that she'd been texting him; he was her friend, after all.

"You're supposed to be _my _friend, Leah."

"He's my friend, too!"

"But we're _best_ friends!" Traci retaliated, banging her fist down on the table. "If you were my best friend, you'd support me and tell me Frankie was a jerk, not be going out and secretly meeting him!"

"God, it's not like I'm having an affair with him!" Leah yelled.

"That's not the point!" Traci screamed, before slamming her laptop shut, and storming out of the kitchen, and up to the spare room she was staying in.

Sure, it should have been Traci storming out of Leah's house, but instead, Leah found herself leaving the house, and driving as far away as she could.

* * *

Sat outside the gym where she assumed AJ would be, Leah clutched her cell phone in one hand, and a cup of coffee in another. It was surprisingly cold for Florida, and the hot liquid was her only form of comfort, as she sat in her car.

"_Hey, this is AJ. I can't come to the phone right now, so leave a message and I'll get back to you," _

"Hey AJ, it's Leah." She began, talking into his answer machine. "I just wanted to see where you were. I got into a fight with Traci, and it's so stupid, but...don't worry, I'll explain later. Just give me a call back when you get this." She finished, hanging up.

_The old AJ would never have left Leah hanging around without any warning-_

"Leah?" The brunette noticed Chris Daniels tapping on the window of her car, a smile on his face. She quickly unwound the window. "What're you doing out here?"

"Have you just come from inside?" Chris nodded. "You didn't see AJ in there, did you?"

"'Fraid not." Chris replied. "Are you okay? You don't look so good."

"It's been a rough morning." Leah tipped her head back against the headrest, and sighed deeply. "Traci and I got into a..." Her voice trailed off, and she opened the door of the passenger side of the car. "Why don't we get something to eat?"


	12. A New Heartbreak Kid

Sorry about a lack of updates, I've been really busy with school, but here's an update for you!  
Hope you enjoy, and please keep **review**ing! XX

* * *

**A NEW HEARTBREAK KID**

**

* * *

**

"I love Elijah," Leah giggled, as 'Pope' opened Impact. She, Joe and Chris were watching the action in the ring from the locker room, however they couldn't help but crease up at their friends speech. "As cheesy as it is, Pope _is_ pimpin'!"

"But really, Dick Flair? Not the most original line." Joe pointed out.

"Blame the writers." Chris rolled his eyes. "I've received some pretty sucky gimmicks in my time."

"Sucky gimmicks?" Leah chuckled. "You forget we're sitting next to the tribal knife-wielding Nation of Violence." She nudged Joe.

"Granted, it wasn't the best, but it was no Curry Man." Joe defended. Leah and Joe both turned to each other before saying in unison, "KONICHIWA!" And breaking into the infamous dance.

"You guys suck," Chris muttered, however he couldn't help but smile.

Besides AJ, Joe and Chris were Leah's best guy friends; she could be herself around them, they made her feel comfortable. Chris was her confidante, and her shoulder to cry on, but Joe knew exactly how to make her laugh until she had tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Aww," Leah leaned over to give Chris a kiss on the cheek, the colour in his face rising. She, however, failed to notice this, and went back to talking to Joe. "You know we're just kidding," Leah poked her tongue out at Chris. "I always thought Curry Man was a nice addition to TNA."

Chris couldn't deny anymore that he had feelings for Leah. Everytime he was with her, he was smitten, and when he wasn't with her, he just wanted to be around her. But she was dating his best friend. Leah was in love with AJ, and there was nothing Chris could do to stop it. There was no way Leah wanted him the way she wanted AJ.

"A couple of us are going out for drinks after the show," Joe turned to Leah. "Do you and AJ wanna come along?"

"Who's going?"

"Obviously me and Chris, then I invited Angelina, Eric, Taylor, Frankie-"

"Noo!" Chris cut in, wincing slightly. "I invited Christy and she's bringing Traci along."

"Y'know, I wish Traci and Frankie would just make up already." Joe folded his arms across his chest, like a child having a temper tantrum. "Do they not realise how awkward they're making it for the rest of us?"

Leah laughed at Joe. "Traci just found out that her husband had been having an affair; I don't think she gives a rat's ass how you or any of us feel about the situation." She was feeling defensive of Traci, despite the fact the friends weren't exactly on speaking terms after Leah secretly met with Frankie.

Before Leah could defend Traci anymore, the locker room door opened, and in came AJ. There was a smug smile on his face, and a confident swagger in his walk; something he'd only adopted since latching himself on to the Nature Boy.

"You must be very proud of yourself." Leah muttered, referring to AJ's beatdown on Elijah.

"What's that?" The TNA champ asked.

"A few of us are going out for drinks tonight." Joe cut in, having heard Leah's mutters. "You'll come along, right?"

"Can't, I'm busy with Ric." AJ responded absentmindedly, rifling through his gym bag.

"You're _always _busy with Ric." It was getting to the point where Leah was resenting herself for being jealous of an old guy. "I can't actually remember the last time we spent a night, just the two of us."

AJ walked over to Leah, and cupped her cheek in his hand. She automatically leaned in to his familiar touch. "Why don't we go out for dinner tomorrow night?" He asked, gently. "Just the two of us."

"I'd like that." She smiled, happily. AJ gave her a quick kiss on the lips, before slinging his gym bag over his shoulder and saying a quick goodbye to the other two men. Leah smiled, "I guess you're stuck with me then."

* * *

"I want another shot!" A wasted Christy squealed over the table at Leah, who'd confiscated all her alcoholic beverages. Reaching over, Christy attempted to swat the shot glass straight out of Leah's hand, however the brunette downed it before the redhead had a chance.

"No more for you, missy." Leah sighed, wincing at the bitter taste. She felt like she was looking after a child. A child that was in for a bitch of a hangover.

Christy huffed. "I wish AJ was here. He's _never_ here anymore; he's always with stupid Ric-" Leah couldn't help but agree.

There was something that just wasn't right about this setting. Perhaps it was Frankie and Traci being purposely sat at opposite ends of the table so they didn't kill each other, but Leah knew it was the absence of her boyfriend. She missed how he'd occasionally squeeze her knee under the table, and they'd exchange knowing smiles. She missed how he'd wrap his jacket around her when the air con got too cold, and she missed how he predicted what she was going to order.

God, she was head over heels for him. No matter what he did, she couldn't hate him.

"Leah!" One of Christy's shaky hands snapped a finger in her direction. "You're miles away." She said dreamily.

"I'm miles away?" Leah chuckled.

"I think it's time we got her out of here." Chris stood up and grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair, and wrapped it around Christy's bare shoulders. "I've only had one drink; c'mon, I'll take you home."

"But I don't wanna go..." She whined.

"I'll come too." Leah wasn't having much fun, and she decided to get out while she could. "Come on, Christy, let's go."

"Can we stop for some ice cream?" Christy asked, as they left.

Leah and Chris both exchanged smiles. "Sure, why not." Chris shrugged.

"I could use some ice cream." Leah rested her head on Chris' shoulder lazily, as Christy skipped ahead of them. Chris slipped an arm around Leah's waist.

"What flavour should I get?" Christy asked, excitedly. "I can't decide whether I want..."

The redhead kept talking, but Leah was no longer listening, as coming through the entrance of the bar was a bevy of beauties, followed by AJ and Ric, both looking a little too happy. Leah could swear in that moment, her heart shattered into a million pieces.

"Oh God." She wanted to vomit.

"Leah!" As AJ noticed his girlfriend, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Leah, I never-"

"Don't say a word." Leah grabbed a bemused Christy by the arm, and pulled her out towards the parking lot.

AJ turned to Chris, his ever-loyal best friend. "Dude, you know it's not what it looks like."

"You don't have to convince me."

Chris' mind was already made up.


	13. Powerless

Please leave a review :) XX

* * *

**POWERLESS**

**

* * *

**

As Leah stepped out of the shower, the cold air hitting her skin was nothing compared to the cold feeling inside her. Since her discovery the previous night, she'd texted AJ to tell him he could sleep at his own house that night, because she was too angry to talk to him, let alone even look at him.

"Call it a peace offering?"

Upon entering her bedroom, Leah jumped out of her skin when she saw AJ sat on the edge of her bed, a plate of breakfast balanced on his lap, and a desperate smile on his face.

"You think breakfast is going to make things better?" Leah scoffed, continuing to get ready for the day ahead. She knew she was torturing AJ, and in some ways, it made her feel a little better.

AJ moved in front of Leah, so he was blocking her path. "Can you at least let me explain what happened?"

Leah nodded.

"Ric told me we were going to meet his family, so I went along, but it turns out his idea of family are a bunch of chicks." AJ explained, sitting back down on the bed. "I swear to you, Leah, if I'd have known we were just going to meet with women, I'd never have gone in the first place."

And for some reason, Leah believed him. No matter the circumstance, there was vulnerability, and an innocent honesty to AJ that Leah couldn't deny. She believed he was faithful to her, but Leah definitely wanted to make AJ sweat it out a little longer.

"And why do you think I'm going to believe that?" She continued to get dressed; however she made a point of elongating every moment. She let her towel drop to the ground, and innocently began walking around her room, contemplating what to wear. AJ's eyes followed her wherever she went, as if he were captivated by her.

"Forgive me?" AJ walked over to her, and wrapped his arms around her waist, her skin hot under his touch. He leaned over and kissed her shoulder. "God Leah, you're killing me."

She allowed herself to smile, without showing her face to AJ. She walked over to the breakfast tray, and began eating the slice of toast sat on the plate, AJ still entranced. "Oh come on!" She laughed. "You find _this_ sexy?"

"Oddly enough, I do."

* * *

"Hey, sexy!"

Leah turned around to see she was not entering the Orlando studios alone, and Sean Waltman and Scott Hall were coming up behind her with smug smiles on their faces. There were very few people Leah despised, but these two really pissed her off.

"My name is Leah." She groaned, reluctantly answering their stupid greeting. "You know, management tells me I've gotta respect you, so I at least expect you to call me by my name."

The two men just chuckled. "Listen sweetie, we're just playing around." Scott Hall laughed.

"Yeah, we're messing." Sean Waltman walked over to Leah and placed an arm around her, making her want to gag. "And as an apology, why don't you bring a couple of your diva friends to our locker room, and we'll party it up, Wolfpack style!"

"Don't you mean caveman style?" Leah brushed Sean off. "I'm not a diva, and you guys are the biggest jackasses-"

"What's going on here?" The doors opened, and in came Jeff Jarrett, making a beeline to Leah. "Are these guys bothering you?"

"Listen, Jeff, we're just having a little fun." Scott signalled to Sean that it was time to leave.

"No biggie," Sean added, before the two men disappeared into the building.

Not many people knew that one of Leah's best friends in TNA was Jeff Jarrett. In fact, it was Jeff that personally signed Leah, and ever since, he'd been both a mentor and a friend to her. He'd taught her about the business, and just been there to listen if she needed a friend.

Leah smiled up at Jeff. "Thank you."

"No problem." He replied. "God, I hate those guys. I have no idea why Hogan and Bischoff thought it would be a good idea to give those idiots contracts."

Leah knew that things were tough for Jeff at the moment, and since the 'new era' in TNA, his power had become utterly useless. He wanted to have his say, and to regain his control as TNA founder, but somehow, he'd lost everything, and had become nothing more than a wrestler.

"Things will go back to normally eventually." Leah hoped she sounded reassuring. "Hogan and Bischoff...they'll get bored and moved on to the next big thing. Guys like that move on quickly."

"Maybe, but I'm getting sick of hanging around."

"Jeff, you're not seriously considering-" Before Leah could even contemplate the possibly of Jeff leaving TNA, her phone ringing stopped her mind set. "Sorry about this." She pulled it out of her pocket. "Hello?"

"_Is this Leah Willis?" _The unfamiliar voice said.

"Yes, this is she."

"_Miss Willis, this is Dr Carey, and I'm your mother's doctor at Tacoma General Hospital, and I'm afraid an hour ago your mother passed away." _

Leah didn't have to listen to any more of the doctor's words. Her palms opened up and her bag fell to the floor, and she dropped her cell phone down on the hard concrete. Her cheeks were wet with the tears flowing from her eyes, and she felt like someone had smashed something into her gut. Her mother's illness was bad, but she never expected that it would come to this.

"Leah, what's wrong?" Jeff took his friends hands in his own, and followed her line of vision so his eyes met hers.

"My mom...she's..." Leah didn't need to say anymore. Jeff knew all about her mom's condition, and all he could do at that moment in time was be the shoulder to cry on that Leah needed.


	14. Saying Goodbye

Pretty much a filler chapter seeing as it's been over a week since I updated.  
Hope you enjoy anyway, and please leave a **review **:) I appreciate all the ones I get. XX

* * *

**SAYING GOODBYE **

**

* * *

**

There was something so sad and morbid about this day. Leah knew that this wasn't the way her mother would've wanted her funeral. She would've wanted people to celebrate the wonderful life she had, yet somehow, Leah wasn't in a celebrating mood. She just wanted to hide away somewhere and cry, but she knew she had to put on a brave face.

"I never actually expected this day to arrive." Leah admitted to AJ, who was sat next to her in the front pew, waiting for the other guests to finish arriving.

"Really?"

Leah nodded. "I knew she was ill, but there was something inside me that told me she was going to hang on in there." She shrugged sadly. "I guess the longer she hung in there, I'd get just a little more hopeful each time."

AJ didn't know how to respond; instead he just squeezed her hand. It didn't help much, but Leah appreciated him being here, and being there for her. He didn't have to come at all – he could've stayed in Florida – but oddly enough, it was thanks to Ric Flair that he could be here for the funeral. AJ had explained his situation to Flair, who'd explained it to Eric Bischoff, who'd allowed them the time off.

"You look beautiful," AJ reassured her.

"I don't feel beautiful," Leah grumbled like a teenager. She was wearing a pair of black trousers, a black blazer and black heels. Her hair was slightly messy, and her face was only partially made up; she knew she'd just cry her mascara off anyway.

"I think everyone's arrived, and the vicar's ready to start." Chris approached the pair, and took a seat the other side of Leah. Chris had been just as supportive as AJ, flying out to Tacoma to support Leah through her difficult time.

"Thank you," Leah leaned over and kissed Chris on the cheek. "I couldn't ask for a better friend," She turned to AJ. "Or a better boyfriend."

Leah didn't get the opportunity to say anything else, as she watched her mother's casket being carried into the church by members of Leah's family; her father, her brothers, her cousins, all holding stoic expressions on their faces. They were just as distraught as Leah was; they were just better at hiding it.

"It's gonna be okay," She heard Chris whisper in her ear, as the vicar began talking. Leah couldn't even hear what he said – she didn't want to; every word broke her heart a little bit more.

Whatever the vicar said just washed over her; she was too focused on the realisation that her mother was lying in a box just a few feet in front of her.

"Oh God," She muttered, feeling the tears welling up in her eyes. This was it; the beginning of the water works.

She rested her head on AJ's shoulder, and let him wrap an arm around her waist. Chris took one of her hands in his own, as tears fell from Leah's eyes and stained her cheeks; she was in no mood to make a scene, so her tears were silent. The rest of the church was barely visible through her cloudy vision.

Chris was right; it probably would be okay, but at that point in time, nothing seemed like it would be okay. She'd lost her mother, her best friend in the whole world, and nothing would ever bring her back. It was heartbreaking.

* * *

Leah barely knew half of these people; old relatives she hadn't seen since childhood and therefore couldn't remember, friends of her mother's... greeting person after person was leaving Leah tired. Everyone was gathered in the Willis' Tacoma family home for a party – despite the inappropriate nature of that word.

This wasn't a party.

"I was a good friend of your mothers," The latest guest – a middle aged lady with a dodgy haircut and a shapeless black dress – came up to Leah and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. "And you must be Aubrey."

"Actually, that's Aubrey." Leah pointed over at her sister on the other side of the room. "I'm Leah."

"Little Leah!" The woman planted another kiss on Leah's other cheek. "I haven't seen you since you were in diapers! My, you've grown up!" Before Leah could inform her that it had been over twenty years, the woman had rushed off to give Aubrey the same treatment.

Tactfully, Leah wiped the lipstick off her cheek.

"Who the hell was that?" Leah asked Chris, as she watched him approached her with a glass of wine. He shrugged.

"You deserve it," Chris handed her the glass. "You've been great today."

"Thank you," She took a grateful slug, before asking, "By the way, is there a large red smudge on my cheek?"

Chris laughed, "No actually, there isn't." He paused, before straightening up again. "I mean it; you've been so brave today. I'm proud of you."

"I couldn't have done it without you and AJ." Leah admitted. "I mean, of course I've got my family here, but to be honest, I'm closer to you guys than I am to my real siblings." She paused. "Speaking of my siblings, I know my mum always wanted me to set Aubrey up with one of my wrestler friends... You interested?"

"I don't think today's the right day." He chuckled. Aubrey was beautiful, but she wasn't the Willis sister he wanted. Of course, he wasn't going to reveal that. "Besides, I thought mother's told their daughters that wrestlers were bad news."

"Only the ones in the WWE." She winked, nudging Chris. "So where's AJ?"

"He had a call from Ric," Chris said reluctantly. "I don't think he'd have taken it if it wasn't important-"

"It's fine." Leah shrugged. "There's too much crap going on today that the last thing I'm going to get upset about is my boyfriend and his Sugar Daddy Bromance."

"Sugar Daddy Bromance?" Chris laughed. Perhaps there was one funny moment in this bitter, bitter day.


	15. Human Nature

Hope you enjoy :) Please leave a **review**! XX :)

* * *

**HUMAN NATURE**

**

* * *

**

Being called to see your boss was usually a bad thing, however when Leah went to see Jeff, it was usually to discuss the latest basketball or football score. The pair were good friends, and got along like a house on fire, however today, the topic of conversation was a little more serious than a football score.

"So how was the funeral?" Jeff asked, as the pair sat themselves down at a table in catering.

"It was okay," Leah shrugged, drawing her water bottle from her lips. She couldn't comprehend her feelings; there was an emptiness inside her, a numb feeling she couldn't put into words. "I mean, it was never gonna be fun, but it had to happen."

"At least you had AJ there."

"And Chris." Leah added. "Chris was such a rock of support."

Jeff smiled. "I wanted to come, you know that, but-"

"You're a busy guy, Jeff, I can't expect you to drop everything and get a plane out to Washington just for me. That wouldn't be fair."

"We're friends, Leah, and I wanna be there for you."

"You're always there for me, you don't need to come to a funeral to prove that-"

Neither one continued, as the presence of Ric Flair loomed over their table and stopped all conversation. There was something about the Nature Boy that made Leah uncomfortable, and she was still figuring that out.

Jeff was the first to speak up, "What do you want, Flair?"

"It's Leanne I want to talk to-"

"It's Leah!" The brunette sighed deeply. "And sure, what do you want?"

"This should really be done in private-"

"Anything you need to say to Leah, you can say in front of me."

Leah appreciated Jeff's protectiveness, but she knew that in this instance, it wasn't needed. She didn't fear Ric Flair – at least, she didn't think she did. "It's okay, Jeff." Leah got up from her seat, and followed Ric over to a secluded area of catering. "What is it you want?"

Ric pursed his lips for a moment, and with a thoughtful furrow of his brow, he whispered, "I want you to stay away from AJ."

Neither of them spoke, as Leah digested what Ric had just said. She looked over at the table where Jeff had been sat and noticed that he was now gone, meaning she and Ric were completely alone. "Are you kidding me?" Leah blurted out. "Do I get an explanation?"

"AJ's the World Champion, and he's a damn good champ, so the last thing he needs is some hoochie girlfriend distracting him and making him lose his focus." Ric's voice was steady and calm, as if he was discussing something perfectly inoffensive. "The only time AJ takes his eye of the ball is when he's with you, or thinking of you."

"What are you, a mind reader?" Leah exclaimed. "AJ's my boyfriend, and I love him, and he loves me. Feelings are feelings; you don't have the power to turn them on and off-"

"Sweetie, I'm the Nature Boy. I can do whatever I like."

Before Leah could control herself, she delivered a low blow to Naitch, causing the old man to grunt and hunch over. It was a knee jerk reaction, literally. She leant down to talk to the fallen veteran. "You're a jackass. You may be AJ's wrestling mentor, but you have no right to get involved in our relationship." She began walking out of catering, but not before shouting. "Stay out of our personal life!"

* * *

"What is this, an intervention?" Leah asked, as she walked into her house and discovered Christy and Taylor sat on one of the sofas, whilst Traci was sat huffily in an armchair, her arms folded across her large chest and a scowl on her face.

"Taylor and I are sick of the two of you fighting," Christy announced, signalling over at Traci. "We're putting a stop to it; you guys are gonna make up, if we have to hold guns to your heads."

"Who let you guys in?" Leah asked curiously, placing her keys down in their usual spot by the front door, before sitting in the armchair opposite Traci, who was still scowling. "Hopefully the wind doesn't change," Leah muttered with a smirk.

"AJ." Taylor replied. "He went out with the guys, though."

"I need to talk to him," Leah said absentmindedly, picking up a magazine off the coffee table and flicking through it. She was still fuming over her encounter with Ric, and she wasn't in the mood for this.

"This is pointless," Traci got to her feet and picked her handbag up off the floor, before making her way towards the door. "I'm going-"

"Say something, Leah!" Christy demanded.

"What's the point?" Leah responded. "She knows how I feel. She's one of my best friends, and she's always going to be, no matter how bitchy or PMS she gets. I'm used to this side of Traci, but normally she doesn't hold grudges for this long. She's managed to forgive Frankie, so I don't know why she hasn't forgiven me."

Traci turned around. "Because I hate swallowing my pride and admitting I'm wrong." She admitted. "And because I feel weak for letting Frankie back into my life so easily." Traci leaned back against the doorframe, as if mentally tired.

"You're not weak!" Leah ran up to her friend, and took her hands in her own. "You're one of the strongest girls I know! Frankie deserved a second chance, and you know that's why you took him back; not because you're weak! I could describe you as many things, Traci," She paused before saying, "_Kazarian,_ but weak is _not_ one of them."

She noticed that Traci was crying, but only slightly, as one tear fell down each cheek. "I never wanted to push you away." Traci swallowed both her tears, and her pride, and pulled Leah in for a hug. The two friends embraced, as Taylor and Christy looked on, misty eyed.

It was good to have Traci back in her life, but the Nature Boy's words were still hanging in the back of Leah's mind. Was she supposed to tell AJ? Or keep it to herself? Maybe AJ knew...no, he couldn't have possibly known. There was no way he'd let Ric treat Leah that way.

Was there?


	16. Violence In My Heart

New update :) Hope you enjoy!  
Just to worn you, after this, chapter 18 will have LOTS of drama.  
Please leave a **review**! X

* * *

**VIOLENCE IN MY HEART**

**

* * *

**

In all the years AJ and Leah had been in TNA, the pair had never been in a feud against each other. Thanks to the Frontline/Main Event Mafia debacle, they'd fought side-by-side, but never as opponents, and as Leah looked across the ring to see AJ snarling at her and Pope D'Angelo Dinero (Elijah Burke), she couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated. It was all storyline, of course, but it was threatening even so.

AJ was stood next to Angelina Love, as the two muttered to each other about 'tactics'; they were definitely heels. The crowd hated them, as opposed to the 'Pope' and 'Leah' chants that filled the Impact Zone.

"I'll start." Elijah muttered, giving Leah a quick hug before she stepped onto the ring apron. In essence, she wasn't really feuding with AJ. AJ and Elijah were feuding, and so were Leah and Angelina; it just so happened that TNA decided to combine the two for a mixed tag match for the main event.

She watched from the side in what appeared to be counter-after-counter from AJ to Elijah, then Elijah to AJ. They were so in sync, it was impossible to take your eyes off. Elijah wore down AJ a little, then AJ did the same to Elijah. It was only when Elijah and AJ hit dual clotheslines, that both Leah and Angelina were tagged in, and the pace picked up.

A flurry of offence from Leah followed – clotheslines, dropkicks... – before she hit a tornado DDT which sent Angelina down to the mat. Leah was about to bounce off the ropes and performing her own alternative version of 'Rolling Thunder', when she felt AJ grab her ankle from outside the ring.

It wasn't supposed to scare her; it was pre-planned of course, but there was something about it that worried Leah. She mentally shrugged it off, telling herself to stop being such a baby, before throwing Angelina over the ropes and outside of the ring. She went to the outside and threw Angelina into the guardrail, before Elijah came to pull Leah off Angelina.

He had his arm wrapped around Leah's waist, and whispered – loud enough for the cameras to hear - 'She's not worth it' in the brunette's ear. Kayfabe, of course. It was only when the pair of them looked up, that they saw AJ soaring through the air to execute his Fosbury Flop.

Leah couldn't remember anything after that moment.

* * *

"Pretty brutal, right?" Leah looked over at Chris, who was on the opposite armchair. She was stretched out on the sofa, watching a replay of her match and seeing exactly how she'd been knocked out cold. It wasn't like she could remember it.

It wasn't AJ's fault. He wasn't supposed to hit Leah; it was her fault, not his. She was supposed to move out of the way, but she'd been too distracted to do so. AJ had landed on Elijah, however his foot had caught Leah, and she'd tumbled over, hitting her head on the steel guardrail as she went down. That was when she blacked out.

"You hit you head pretty hard." Chris commented. "I was really worried about you."

"Yeah, well I'm fine, aren't I?" She smiled as positively as possible. "Besides, It could've been a lot worse; I didn't even get a concussion!" Leah smiled over at Chris; he was a natural worrier, and she could tell he was concerned for her. She wasn't lying, she really was okay.

"Was AJ meant to-?"

"No, no, of course not!" Leah denied vehemently. There was no way he'd intentionally hurt her – even if it was storyline. "You see," She rewound the tape so Chris could watch it again. "He was already running, and I was supposed to move out of the way, but I just...blanked out. I forgot he was coming. I rarely make mistakes in wrestling, but that was a big one."

The room went silence, as they both continued to watch. The bell rang, and Leah had fallen to the ground, motionless; if it weren't for the rise and fall of her chest, she'd have looked dead. Taz and Mike Tenay's commentary made everything seem that much more dramatic. Throughout the broadcast, they constantly updated the views on Leah's condition.

Elijah and a bunch of refs began to crowd around Leah's prone body. Angelina's eyes widened in fear, before she scampered off up the aisle with Leah's Knockout title. That _was_ planned. The look on AJ's face wasn't. He was stood outside the ring; however he kept a safe distance from Leah. His jaw had dropped, and he looked as if he wanted to cry. On screen, AJ 'The New Nature Boy' Styles may have been heartless, but he didn't hurt women. He looked as if he might even have approached Leah; however Ric Flair came out to the ring and pulled AJ backstage before he could.

This led Leah to wonder what the fans thought of this. Everyone knew of the close friendship Leah and AJ shared, but she wasn't entirely sure of whether they knew _how_ close they were. A couple of weeks prior, one of the wrestling websites printed a photo of them together, speculating their relationship, however when neither one commented on it, nothing else was said.

"Come over," Leah shuffled over on the sofa, making room for Chris. He sat down, so she could lean her back against him. She rested her head against his shoulder. "I don't know what I'd do without you." The medication had made her extremely drowsy.

There wasn't a lot else that Chris could say, as before he had the opportunity, the sound of a key in the front door lock came through, and AJ came into the living room.

"I'll leave you guys to it," Chris got off the sofa, and made a quick exit, leaving AJ stood over Leah.

He sat down in the spot where Chris had once been and placed a delicate kiss on the side of Leah's head. "You have no idea how sorry I am." He whispered in her ear. "I don't know how I'm gonna make it up to you, but I'm gonna try."

"AJ," Leah sat upright, and turned to AJ with a light smile. "It wasn't your fault, don't worry." She kissed him on the cheek. "I'm fine, really I am."

"I should've been more careful-"

She laughed, placing a finger on her boyfriend's lips to hush him. "Let's not talk about it anymore. Okay?" So neither one said anything. They sat on the couch and watched the rest of Impact in peace.

It was nice to have AJ back to his normal, caring self, but Leah still had Ric Flair's words playing in the back of her mind.

"AJ?" She muttered.

Nothing.

She sat upright and saw that her boyfriend had fallen asleep. Perhaps this conversation would have to wait.


	17. Kiss Him Goodbye

**KISS HIM GOODBYE**

**

* * *

**

"Fancy place," Leah commented with a grin, as AJ led her into the unfamiliar restaurant. It definitely wasn't a Leah/AJ type of a place; their dates usually consisted of take-out food on the couch, or downscale bars. Sure, it wasn't glamorous, nor was it on this scale, but was certainly enjoyable.

"Ric told me this place was nice." _Of course, Ric did._ Leah was still fuming over her conversation with Ric, and had yet to tell AJ. "You look beautiful, by the way." AJ added.

"Thank you." She blushed, hiding her face behind her hands. She was modest, but flattery was definitely the way to her heart. "But you know, you don't need flashy restaurants to impress me."

AJ laughed. "What kind of a boyfriend would I be if all I did was get you take-out pizzas and TV?"

_The boyfriend I fell in love with. _

Leah decided not to answer, instead letting her eyes fall onto the menu in front of her. "I might have the chicken."

And so they talked. They talked politely until the drinks arrived, and then through their starters. It was nice, and it was kind, but to Leah, it wasn't right. It was like an awkward first date, with neither sure of how to act around the other. What Leah loved about her relationship with AJ was how comfortable they were around each other. Without that, it didn't feel right. It didn't feel like them.

"Thanks," AJ received his main course off the waitress, before turning back to Leah. "By the way, go easy on the red wine. I told Ric we'd be at training with him at around nine-ish tomorrow morning."

"We?"

"Yeah, is that a problem?" AJ asked.

"No, I'm just..." Unsure of how to finish, Leah decided to just stop talking, as she made a start on her chicken.

"What's going on?" AJ was a persistent man, and Leah could tell he wasn't going to drop this. He winced. "Leah, do you not like Ric?"

She didn't want to give AJ the real answer, so she turned it around. "Perhaps you should be asking Ric if he likes me." She muttered bitterly. "Maybe he'll give you an honest answer."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Okay, so he was persistent, but he wasn't the fastest thinker. "I'm _really_ confused."

"You really want me to tell you what's going on?"

"Yes!"

Leah sighed; she _really_ didn't want to do this, as she knew it would spell out trouble. "The other day, Ric came up to me in catering, and he said some pretty...rude stuff." She paused to look at AJ's face; he was so oblivious. "He pretty much told me that I was a distraction to you, and that I should break up with you, because 'The only time AJ takes his eye of the ball is when he's with you, or thinking of you'." Leah quoted. "I'm sorry, AJ, but the guy's an idiot."

It was difficult to read her boyfriend's expression; his mouth hung open, as he winced at Leah with one eyebrow slightly arched. The stunned silence at their table forced an awkward Leah to nervously look around the restaurant. "AJ, say something," She eventually said.

"I...you're kidding, right?" He confirmed. "You're kidding?"

"I wish I was."

"I mean, I know you and Ric aren't exactly the best of friends, but I never expected _that."_ He breathed, placing his cutlery down on the table. "I don't get why Ric would do something like that; he's my friend."

"He doesn't know what's best for you, AJ-"

"And _you_ do?" AJ snapped. "You know, of all the people I care about in my life, I never thought you'd be the one that would hurt me like this."

She couldn't believe she had to defend herself for something she didn't do. "I'm telling you this because I care about you!"

Nearby tables were turning around to look at the arguing couple, but neither Leah nor AJ paid any attention. "God, Leah-"

"God Leah, what? What AJ?" Leah yelled. "I love you and I'm telling you this because of that! I don't want a jackass like Ric Flair to drive a wedge between us!"

"You know," AJ scowled. "Maybe Ric's right; maybe you _are_ a distraction."

As cliché as it was, Leah gasped aloud. All it took was one comment to make her want to cry, but she held it in. Other than fights about food, or cleaning, this was their first real fight, and it was much more severe than who took the last slice of pizza or the mess in Leah's car.

Leah got to her feet, and began making her way towards the bathroom, but not before saying "That hurt, AJ."

Rifling through her purse, Leah pulled out a tissue and to wipe her eyes and blow her nose; she was the kind of girl that had a really unattractive cry – lots of snot, and puffy red eyes, so she thought it was better to do it in the bathroom. In all the years she'd known AJ, he'd never said anything quite so hurtful to her. She pulled out her phone, and noticed she had three missed calls all from Traci, one of which had a voicemail left with it.

'_Leah, it's me, Traci. Listen, Frankie just told me about Chris asking for his release from TNA, and I don't know if you knew, but I'm sure he'd want to see you, so just call him when you get the chance. Thanks.' _

Leah acted on pure instinct, as she left the bathroom to make her way back to the table. She put on her coat without saying a word to AJ, who looked more bemused than ever.

"We need to sort this out-" He began.

"Not now, AJ." Did he even know about Chris?

"Leah!" He demanded, grabbing her arm. "Sit down, and-"

"I said not now!" She cut AJ by delivering a sharp slap to AJ's cheek, before leaving the restaurant and attempting to hale down a cab.

* * *

How could Chris be gone from TNA? Leah thought to herself, as she made her way along the corridor to his hotel room. Along with AJ and herself, Chris was a TNA original in an ever-changing company. Maybe she'd taken him for granted in the past, because she had been so accustomed to seeing his face when she arrived in the Impact Zone, not seeing him with be difficult to get used to.

"Let me in, Chris!" She banged her fist against his door, and it only took a couple of seconds for him to answer, a liquor glass in his hand.

He looked at her with bleary eyes. "What're you-"

"I heard about your release." She walked into the room and placed herself down on a couch. "If you could call it a release. What happened?"

"I'm sick of being misused." He sat down next to her. "I've busted my ass for that company for long enough, and I'm getting nowhere. I don't want to end up jobbing for the rest of my career."

"I understand," She took the glass out of his hand; he'd obviously had enough.

"I'm just as good an athlete as AJ; so what gives him a push over me?"

"I don't know," Leah admitted. "Actually, speaking of AJ, we got into a fight earlier-"

"You and AJ?" Chris handed her a glass of brandy, and she chugged it, wincing at the sour aftertaste. "What happened?"

"He's changed Chris. He's not the guy I fell for." She felt herself crying again; when did she turn so soft?

"Hey," Chris leaned over to wipe away Leah's tears with his thumb. "Don't cry, you don't need to cry."

"Am I wasting my time?" She asked desperately.

"You could do better than AJ," Chris told her.

"Oh yeah?" She laughed. "Like who?"

The next couple of seconds went in slow motion, as Chris leaned over and placed his lips on hers. It was sweet and tender, and Leah could taste the alcohol on his lips. It was only when she opened her eyes and saw Chris in front of her that she knew something was wrong.

"No, Chris." She placed her hands on his chest and pushed him away. She got to her feet. "I'm with AJ, and I can't do this."

"But you just said-"

"I've got to go." And so Leah found herself leaving a guy for the second time in one night, as she left Chris' room and sat on the wall outside the hotel, just staring into the black night, wondering how things had turned out this way.

* * *

Told you there'd be drama...  
Please review :) X


	18. Home Again

**HOME AGAIN **

* * *

Leah's neck was killing her; she'd spent so long – around eight hours, to be specific – looking at the sky, she'd stiffened up.

Watching the sky change from deep blue and star-spotted to light blue and cloud-dotted was definitely a time passer. That and counting sheep, and occasionally whistling, was her only way of keeping her mind off of AJ and Chris.

At least, for a little while.

She'd gotten to a place where her relationship with AJ was crumbling, and the man she once adored had become someone she barely recognised anymore; she saw him on TV, and it was like looking at a stranger. And then there was Chris, someone who'd always been there for her, and there he was, causing an even bigger rift between them. He'd kissed her, and the worst part was that for a brief moment, she'd liked it.

And she'd someone got to this point, being sat outside Chris' hotel in the same spot she'd ended up in the previous night, with no real idea of what to do with herself.

"Have you been here all night?" Turning around, Leah saw Chris exiting the hotel, coming towards her. "You must be freezing."

The truth was, Leah hadn't realised until that point how cold she actually was. She had a jacket on over her dress, but her bare legs were covered in goosebumps. "I'm fine." She lied.

"No, you're not; let me give you a ride back to your house," Chris said.

Leah decided not to refuse, and with no words, she followed Chris over to his car, and got into the passenger seat. They travelled down the road in silence for the first five minutes, until Chris knew he had to speak up.

"We need to talk about last night." He didn't take his eyes off the road.

"No, we don't." Leah retorted assertively.

"Yes, we do." He argued back. "Leah, I can't help the way I feel about you, and I don't think that you and AJ are happy together. I think you should-"

"Be with someone like you?" Her voice was sour, and unimpressed.

"Your words, not mine." Chris whispered.

"Pull over." Leah instructed.

"Leah-"

"I said pull over!" She yelled. She couldn't handle this; she was in such a vulnerable state of mind that it would've been too easy for Chris to persuade her to do things she'd regret.

Chris obliged, and stopped the car on the side of the road. He watched as Leah got out and slammed the door behind her and stood on the sidewalk with her arms folded across her chest. She didn't move until Chris sped off down the road. She tried to work out where she was; about five minutes away from the Impact Zone. Walking as fast as her heels could carry her, she finally found solitude inside the wrestling ring.

If there was one place Leah always felt comfortable, it was in a ring. She sucked at relationships, and she was actually pretty shy, so there was nothing more familiar to her than a squared circle.

"Whoa, sorry." She turned around and noticed coming towards the ringside area was Frankie Kazarian, with his gym bag slung over his shoulder and his cell phone in his hand. "I didn't realise you were here. Did we double book-?"

"It's okay, I'm not actually meant to be here." Leah muttered, stepping out of the ring and resting against the side of the broadcast table. "It's all yours."

"I'm supposed to meeting Doug, but he's stuck in traffic. You can stay and watch while we practise." He looked her up and down. "I would invite you to join us, but you're hardly dressed for action. Is everything alright?"

"I got into a fight with AJ." Leah shrugged, sadly.

"Was it bad?"

Leah nodded, her eyes glued to the stone floor. "He's changed, Frankie, and I don't like the new AJ." She paused to look up at her friend. "Or maybe I've changed. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, and really _I'm _the problem."

Frankie breathed deeply and rubbed his chin in thought. "I'm not exactly the guy to be shelling out relationship advice, am I?" He laughed lightly. "I can't comment on you and AJ personally, but from what I can see, you care about AJ a lot, but I think he cares about you just as much."

"So what about you and Traci?" Leah was desperate to changed the subject.

"We're good. Obviously, we're not perfect, but we're regaining that trust that we lost. It just..." His voice trailed away, as a far-off smile took over his face. "One day at a time, y'know?"

"I'm glad you guys are happy." Oh, how the tables had turned.

* * *

Leah spent very little time at AJ's house; for some reason, her house was always that bit more convenient. It was closer to the Impact Zone, to the airport, to the town's nightlife. As she stood outside AJ's house, Leah felt the late afternoon breeze hit her skin. She winced; she'd been here so many times before, but it seemed so unfamiliar.

The soft soles of her plimsoll trainers made no noise against the gravelly path, as she stepped onto the doormat and rang the bell.

"AJ, it's me." She called through the letter box, and he answered mere moments later. She was shocked at what she saw.

He looked terrible; he was wearing the same suit as the previous night, except everything was much more crumpled, and his short hair stuck up in random tufts. Dark circles lay under his eyes, adding years onto his face. "We need to talk." He held open the door for her to come inside."

"Thanks." She walked into his living room; the curtains were pulled and there was a quiet buzz coming from the TV. Leah perched herself on the couch, and placed her hands neatly in her lap.

"So I don't know what happened the other night-"

"Can I talk first?" Leah asked, holding up a hand. "I'm leaving town for a little while."

AJ wasn't expecting that. "Wow," He sunk back against the wall. "How long for?"

"I don't know." She replied. "A couple of days, maybe a couple of weeks."

"But we need to sort this out-"

"And when I get back, we will." She paused. "I'll call you when I get back." Getting to her feet, she made her way outside down the gravelly path.

"You're making a big mistake, Leah!" He called, as she got into her car and let her Satellite Navigation take her to the airport. Her suitcases were in the trunk, and she was all ready to leave. There were fresh tears forming in her eyes, and as she used to back of her hand to wipe them away, she wondered why she hadn't kissed AJ goodbye.

* * *

I'm getting so sloppy with updates, but my GCSEs are over the coming weeks, so if updates are less regular, don't get worried, because they will be here!

Anyway, can AJ and Leah get through this?  
And what about Chris?  
Leave a **review** and I'll update ASAP :) x


	19. Crash And Burn

I know, I know, it's been _way_ too long since I've updated!  
School's been mental, but I've come back with an update I hope will serve as an apology!  
Plus, there's a **poll** on my page, and it would be just _swell_ if you would take it :):)  
Please **review** :)

* * *

**CRASH AND BURN**

**

* * *

**

Airports were such interesting places.

Everyone that was at an airport was there for a reason. It wasn't like going to the local store to pick up a carton of orange juice; there was a story behind everything, and everyone. Leah loved standing around and just watching everything take place. She'd been in Florida for five minutes, and she couldn't count the amount of families she'd seen reunited. It brought a little lump into her throat.

"Is that Leah Willis?" There were voices behind Leah, and as she turned around, she was greeted by two teenage boys. Judging by one of them wearing an AJ Styles t-shirt, she assumed they were TNA fans. Either that, or he knew her all too well.

"Yeah, it is." She smiled at them both warmly. Barely anyone in Tacoma had recognised her, yet whenever she was in Florida, she had fans talking to her left right and centre.

"Are you gonna be at Impact tonight?" The boy in the AJ t-shirt asked.

"We heard you were being signed by the WWE." The other chipped in. "Is that true?" The truth was, Leah _had_ received a call from the WWE headquarters, and they were interested in signing her. And to boot, they were willing to increase her TNA salary by up to forty percent. It was definitely unexpected, and oddly appealing, however Leah decided to think on it before making her mind up.

"I'm with TNA, and that's where my loyalties lie right now." _But who knew what the future would bring?_ Leah chatted to the two boys – signing t-shirts and taking photos - before something else caught her attention. "It was nice to meet you guys," She said, before rushing towards the entrance. "Chris!" She sprinted towards the former TNA employee, as fast as her tatty Converses would let her run. The pair hadn't spoken since _that_ night at the hotel, because Leah just didn't have the courage to pick up the phone and tell him how differently she wished things had turned out.

"Oh my God, Leah!" He turned around to look at her, and pulled her in for a short hug, making sure he pulled away before things got too awkward. "Your hair's different." He scarcely reached out and let his fingers touch her lighter locks. "I like it."

"Thanks." Observing his appearance, Leah was a little stunned. There was a light fuzz of facial hair on his face, and his eyes were darker than she remembered. "How are you?" She asked, cautiously. "What've you been up to?"

"I'm back in Ring of Honor, and I'm doing some independent gigs," Chris told her, running his hand across the top of his head. "Life goes on after TNA."

"That's good to know."

"And what about you? I haven't seen you on TV in a while."

Leah sighed, "After all the stuff that happened between AJ and me, I decided to take a bit of time off. Just to, you know, clear my head."

"And did it work?" He asked.

"Now is the time to come back." She chose her words carefully. "But right now, I want to know what's going on between you and me."

Chris pulled Leah over to a nearby bench, and insinuated that she sit down. "I still care about you, Leah-"

"I care about you too, Chris." Leah responded, slipping her hand into his. "But I don't think we share the same kind of love." A nervous giggle slipped out. "Maybe if it was a different place, or maybe a different time, then I'd feel the same, but I've found AJ. We fight, and we're going through a rough patch, but I know that somehow, we'll work it out."

"But-"

"I don't want to lose you as a friend, Chris."

He knew he couldn't change her mind, so there was no point him even trying. "You won't lose me as your friend. I'll always be here for you, Leah." Leah pressed her lips against Chris' cheek. No more words were needed, so she got to her feet and left the airport to hail down a cab which would take her to the Impact Zone.

In the back of the cab, a million thoughts rushed through Leah's head. Ever since their first meeting, Leah had been close to Chris. He was her confidante; someone she could turn to when no-one else was there, and at times, she often found herself turning to Chris instead of AJ. The three of them were the closest of friends, and deep down, Leah knew her love of AJ would split them up. She'd have to sacrifice their friendship for her own happiness, and it may not have been fair, but it was necessary.

"Just in here," Leah called to the driver, as she looked out of the window to see the upcoming Orlando studio. Oh, how she'd missed it. "Keep the change," She thrust a bill into the driver's hand, but hopping out of the cab and making her way towards Jeff's office.

Sticking her head around the door, she took a moment to observe Jeff. He was hunched over a pile of paperwork; his finger gripping at the pencil he held, and his forehead scrunched in concentration.

"Knock, knock." Leah spoke up, and she was greeted by a dazzling smile from Jeff.

"Welcome home." No, Orlando wasn't home, but people like Jeff made it feel as if it was. Jeff got up to greet Leah, and she allowed herself to be held by him for a couple of seconds, before he let her go. "It's good to have you back. How was Tacoma?"

"It was good to have a break." Leah sat down. "The point is, I'm ready to get back in the ring. I'm twitching without that belt around my waist."

Jeff laughed. "Did you hear the 'we want Leah' chant last week? I'm sure the fans will be glad to have you back."

Leah smiled. She had heard it, and for a little while, it had given her some kind of happiness. "What about AJ?" It was a risk to ask, but Leah needed to know.

"He's not coming to tapings tonight, so maybe you should...talk to him." There was something reluctant in Jeff's voice. What was he hiding from her?

* * *

Inside her car, Leah wrinkled her forehead in disbelief at the house before her. A loud blare of music could be heard, and the crush of bodies was visible through the windows. She was genuinely shocked.

_AJ was having a party?_

Leah got out of the car and stormed up the path leading to the front door. Beer cans lay empty on the usually spotless front lawn; it was like a juvenile teenager's rave whilst his parents were out of town. The inside wasn't much better either; there were beer kegs, and something had smashed on the floor; Leah couldn't even tell what it was that had broke.

"Oh my God," She muttered, her voice barely audible over the sound system.

"Leah!" No longer alone, she found herself pulled into one of Joe's bear hugs. Normally Joe's hugs were the best in the world, but tonight she just wasn't in the mood. "We've missed you round here! Where've you-"

"Where's AJ?" She yelled in an attempt to be heard, whilst she peeled herself away from a seemingly hammered Joe.

"I dunno, I haven't seen him in a while-"

"Let me know if you do." Leah began scouring all the rooms in an attempt to find him; he was nowhere. She knew the time had come to check the last place she wanted to look; his bedroom.

It hadn't changed much; still pretty bare with little more than his bed, a couple of chests of drawers, and a few bits and pieces scattered around. The one that caught Leah's eyes was a photo of her and AJ. It was taken at some point in 2007, well over two years before they got together, yet you could tell there was something more than friendship between them; the sheepish grin on AJ's face, and the cheeky glint in Leah's eyes and she planted a big kiss on his cheek. They were cute together, even back then.

"Sorry, I didn't realise anyone was in here." The peace was disrupted, as a busty blonde burst out of AJ's en-suite bathroom, adjusting the straps on her mini-dress. Leah recognised her; she was one of the girls Ric Flair brought in to accompany himself and AJ to the ring. The blonde obviously recognised Leah too, as she nervously bustled out of the room.

"AJ?" There was a fearful twist in Leah's stomach, as she had some sort of intuition of what was to come. She let her fingers curl around the door handle and open the door to realise her worst fear; AJ buttoning up his shirt. It wasn't exactly cold, hard evidence, but it was enough.

He turned his head to look at Leah, "You're back?"

"I wish I hadn't bothered." Her lower lip shook; she couldn't even run away, it was as if her feet were duct taped to the ground.

What Leah was seeing obviously sunk in for AJ, as he began irritably shaking his head. "No, Leah, you don't understand-"

"I don't understand?" Her voice steadily rose. "AJ, I just saw some whore leave the bathroom fixing her dress, and here you are, not exactly helping the situation!" Hot tears trickled down her cheeks, and a lump formed in her throat. "I was miserable back in Tacoma! Miserable! I was trying to sort out my head, but the problem was I couldn't get you out of it!"

"I haven't stopped thinking about you-"

"So I came back to Orlando, thinking we could sort things out." She paused, using the back of her hands to dry her tears. Her voice volume dropped. "But it's not going to work, is it?"

AJ stepped towards Leah and took her hands in his before kissing them.

"Don't AJ," She whispered, weakly; her voice hoarse. "I can't do this anymore. I'm so sick of feeling sorry for myself, I need to go-"

"Don't go," He said, however she yanked her hands away.

"I have to. It's over."


	20. Unknown Desires

Expect BIG drama ahead..

* * *

**UNKNOWN DESIRES**

* * *

"Leah, you don't mean that," AJ said quietly, watching as his now former girlfriend left his house. He followed her until they were out on the sidewalk, and he grabbed her arm before she could get into her car. "Don't leave, Leah. You can't go, I need you-"

"No, you don't." Leah shook her head tearfully, and freed herself from AJ's grip. "You used to need me. Now, we're like strangers." She looked at AJ through her cloudy vision. "I...I don't know you anymore, AJ."

"But I know you!"

"No," She got into her car, and sighed. "You lost the right to know me." Closing the door and speeding off down the road; Leah left AJ stood alone outside his party, wondering where they went wrong.

Leah had no idea whether she'd made the right decision or not. All she knew was there was a hollow, empty feeling in her chest that felt a hell of a lot like heartbreak, and she never wanted to feel it again. She'd never felt so lonely; it was as if AJ had taken hold of every piece of happiness she'd ever held, and dragged it out of her. It was a painful feeling.

If only there was someone there to comfort her.

"You won't lose me as your friend. I'll always be here for you, Leah."

Remembering Chris' words, Leah pulled her car over to the side of the road and quickly dialled in his number.

'_Hey, you've reached Chris' voicemail. Leave a message and I'll-'_

Seeing no point in leaving a message, Leah hung up her phone and wondered where the hell she was supposed to go. Everyone was either at the Impact tapings or AJ's house party, and her own house seemed so empty. Every part of it reminded her of AJ, and she was definitely considering checking into a hotel for the night-

"Hello?" At the sound of her cell phone, Leah picked it up after just one ring.

"_Leah, are you okay?" _It was Jeff, and he could sense that something was wrong.

"Uh uh," She croaked sadly. "It's over between us, Jeff."

"_Oh, sweetie." _He sounded sympathetic. "_Where are you?" _

"I dunno really," She managed a laugh. "I'm about five minutes from AJ's, and about another five minutes from the Impact Zone. Shall I meet you there?"

"_I'm at home. Are you alright to drive to my house?" _

"I'll be there soon."

And she was. Sadness made Leah a fast driver, and she arrived at Jeff's within a couple of minutes, only to be greeted by a large hug from the TNA founder.

* * *

"Are you alone?" Leah asked, following Jeff into his kitchen; the house was practically silent, apart from the quiet hum of the TV coming from the living room.

Jeff nodded. "My girls are with their grandparents in Nashville for the weekend and Karen's got some work on in Pittsburgh, so she took her kids for a break." He was referring to Karen Angle – ex wife of Kurt, and current fiancée of Jeff. There was a lot of controversy surrounding Jeff and Karen, but all Leah saw was a happy couple; they gave each other so much hope, and showed that you _can_ find love again even when you feel at your lowest. To be perfectly honest, Leah wouldn't have minded seeing Karen; the pair had always gotten along well, and what Leah needed really right then and there was a female confidante. "Do you want a drink?"

"What are you offering?"

"Well, there's water-"

"Yeah, but what are _you_ drinking?" Disappearing into the room next door, Leah came back out, holding a bottle of Jack Daniels which sat in his liquor cabinet; she was no stranger to the Jarrett household, and certainly no stranger to the liquor cupboard. "Fancy sharing?"

"You sure that's a good idea?" Jeff queried, despite already getting out two glasses.

"Please, I could do with a little pick-me-up," She muttered, sitting down at the kitchen table and resting her head against her hand.

"There you go," Jeff placed the glass down in front of her, before sitting down opposite her. "So what happened?"

"It's over." Slowly swirling her drink around in the glass, she felt a languid sigh escape her. "I'm sick of being unhappy, and I'm sick of feeling like I've lost AJ to Ric. Things just...stop working in a relationship sometimes, and that's what happened with AJ and me."

"That's it?"

"Well, obviously there were people forming obstacles in front of us." Pausing, Leah wondered if she could actually tell Jeff all this, but then she remembered how close they were; how he'd always been there for her, from the day he gave her a job in TNA, to the present. They'd been through a lot as friends.

"Like who?"

"Chris."

"Daniels?" Jeff raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. The night he was released, he told me that he liked me, and he kissed me." She noticed the stunned look on Jeff's face. "I pushed him away afterwards, of course. That was why I went back to Tacoma in the first place; I was in this state of shock, and I knew I had to sort out for myself what had happened."

Rubbing at the stubble in his chin, Jeff said, "Do you like Chris?"

"Not in _that_ way. He's one of my best friends, but I don't see him romantically. In some ways, I wish I did, because things would be so much simpler; he thinks the world of me, and we gets along so well-"

"Does AJ know?"

Leah shook her head. "We've got enough problems of our own, if I brought Chris into it, things would just escalate. Besides, he's hardly pure; when I went to his house, I caught some girl leaving his bathroom practically putting her dress back on, and when I went inside, he was doing the same." She paused, in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Except, without the dress, of course."

Jeff smiled, "Don't you think...honesty is the best policy in this situation?"

"Well, we're over now, so there's not much more I can do about it."

"God," In shock over what he'd been told, Jeff rubbed at the top of his head. Ever since they'd met, Leah and AJ had been the perfect couple; they were so similar, so close and comfortable in each other's company, and sure, it took them a while to get together, but once they were together, Jeff expected them to last forever; marriage, kids, he thought they'd go the whole way. He never expected it to end so soon, and so bitterly. "When did things get so fucked up?"

It was at that point Leah stopped thinking of herself, and noticed the stress and anguish on Jeff's face. His eyes looked tired, and there were definitely a few extra lines on his forehead. "Jeff, are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay," He sighed, "I'm getting my freakin' company – a company I worked damn hard to build up – taken away from me by Dixie, Hulk and Eric!"

"You can't be serious-"

"I wish I weren't." He muttered. "I don't know why I bother anymore; I'm losing any power I once had, and I can't say anything without it being overruled. But it's not just about me; people like you – people that have worked hard to get TNA where it is – where does that leave you?"

"You can't worry about me, Jeff, I'll be fine." _Was this the right time to tell him about her WWE offer? _

"The WWE would be lucky to have you," He noticed the expression on her face. "Oh my God, you got an offer, didn't you?"

She nodded, "I don't know whether to take it or not. I feel like if I did, I'd be taking it for all the wrong reasons. Like, I'd be escaping AJ and getting a bigger paycheque, but besides that, I don't know."

"You deserve to be happy, Leah." His voice was quiet, and meaningful. "If you're gonna be happy in TNA, then you should stay, but if you'll be happier in WWE, then that's the place for you."

"You're so sweet," Leah moved into the chair next to Jeff and wrapped her arms around the TNA founder's neck, as he embraced her into a hug. She pulled away. "Why can't all guys be like you?" Leah didn't receive an answer, as she found her eyes lock with Jeff's, and their lips connect.

For a moment, she forgot about everything, instead caught up in a hasty blur of hands, lips and Jack Daniels; Jeff was a surprisingly good kisser. She'd always seen him as an uncle, or a brother, but not anymore. His hand gently supported the back of her neck, and she ran her fingers through his blonde hair, but Leah knew whatever was happening in that moment couldn't last forever.

"No!" She pulled away, quickly wiping at her lips. "That shouldn't have happened."

"Definitely not," Jeff replied, getting to his feet, and pacing the length of the kitchen. "Look, if you still want to stay here, that's fine."

"That's probably not the best idea." Leah muttered, making her way to the front door.

"_Leah!" _Jeff's voice flooded from the kitchen. "_Perhaps we should keep this between the two of us?" _

"Definitely." She called back, before leaving the house.

_It was just another lie she had to keep. _

* * *

You didn't see that coming did you? Hahaha, I'm evil, aren't I?  
Thank you to those that consistantly review, and to those that haven't, please make the effort.  
Anyway, hope you enjoyed, and please leave a **review **:) x


	21. Faces From The Past

Chapter 21 is here :)  
Please leave a **review, **and tell me what you think :)

* * *

**FACES FROM THE PAST**

* * *

"The progress we have made over the past couple of months is undeniable, and we couldn't have done it without the hard work put in by each and every single one of you." Dixie said in the middle of the ring, as she addressed the TNA roster. "Our switch back to Thursday nights has only increased our ratings, and the fan support is absolutely overwhelming-"

Leah blanked out and stopped listening to Dixie. She got the jist; hard work, achievements, continuous support, etc. It wasn't as if she could focus anyway; her mind was on her personal life, and her professional one was merely an afterthought.

Alongside Dixie was Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, Jeff Jarrett and some other important people that Leah wasn't sure of the names of. How was she ever supposed to face Jeff again? The kiss they shared was a huge mistake, and she didn't know if they could just go back to being friends again. She wanted to go back and change what had happened. When she glanced over again, she saw that Jeff was looking straight back at her with a frown on his face. He clearly felt the same way as she did.

There were only four people between Leah and AJ, so she could catch sneaky glances at his face. He looked tired, and drained; pale from a lack of sleep. His hair was un-styled – no pun intended - and every so often, he'd rub at his forehead and wince. God, she missed him like hell-

"-so thank you all for listening, and keep up the hard work."

There was a round of applause, and everyone got up to leave; AJ being the first – he couldn't get out of there fast enough. Leah hung around, knowing there was someone she needed to talk to.

"Jeff," She waited until the TNA founder had finished talking to Chris Parks, before approaching him. "We need to talk."

"Yeah we do. Why don't you come into my office?" It was about a twenty second walk out of the ring and into the office but it felt like an eternity. "Take a seat-"

"I don't want things to be awkward between us, so can we just forget this ever happened?" Leah blurted out before she had even sat down. Obviously her mouth was working faster than her brain. "We'd both been drinking, and-"

"Let's not make excuses, Leah; it happened, and we can't deny it." Jeff shrugged, not breaking eye contact. It was times like these when she wondered how the hell they'd ever made out; he was like a father to her. "If we can go back to being friends though, I'd like that."

"Definitely." Leah held up a hand, signalling for a high five, which Jeff reciprocated.

"So have you had any more thoughts about the WWE?" Jeff asked, as Leah sat down on the sofa. "Are you gonna accept their offer?"

"To be honest, I've barely give it any thought." Leah admitted. "All this stuff with AJ has put my mind in a weird state, and if I could think about anything other than him, I would. But I can't."

"It's time to move on, Leah." The older man told her. "You and AJ...you were good together, but when something goes wrong, you've got to pick up the pieces, and move on."

"Who exactly am I gonna move on with?" She chuckled. Before Jeff could give her an answer, there was a knock at the door, and Jarrett was no longer the only Jeff in the room.

"Hey Jeff," Jarrett said to Jeff Hardy, who stood in the doorway. "What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to check we were still teaming together on Impact tonight," Hardy was talking to Jarrett, but he didn't take his eyes off Leah. Of course, the pair of them had a history, but it wasn't something Leah necessarily liked to talk about; when Hardy returned to the WWE, she'd been heartbroken.

"Yeah, that's still on." Jarrett picked up a binder and got to his feet. "Listen, I don't mean to be rude, but I've got a meeting with Dixie and Hulk, so I'd better get going. Leah, if you need anything, I'm here." Jarrett winked at Leah, before making his way out of the office. He had an idea up his sleeve.

"What was that about?" Jeff asked, leaning back against his boss' desk.

Jeff Hardy had a demeanour about his that was indescribable; he was so chilled out and laid back, and he was the kind of guy you could just be comfortable around. Leah thought back on their relationship together. It was a long time ago, during his first TNA stint about six years ago, and it definitely wasn't a serious relationship; more...blowing off steam after matches together. She could only blush when she thought about how many risks they took; they did it in the locker rooms, in broom cupboards...how they didn't get caught, Leah had no idea. Anyway, Jeff left the company in early 2006 without little warning for Leah; she was pretty crushed, but she would never admit it aloud.

"Just going through some personal stuff." Leah shrugged, twisting her lips to hide her frown. "AJ and I broke up, so Jeff was being a good friend."

"I heard about that." Jeff commented, clicking at one of Jarrett's pens, making Leah twitch every time he did so. "Sorry," Grinning, he placed the pen back in the pot. "Anyway, I'm sorry about you and AJ."

"It's okay. These things happen all the time." She wanted to shrug, but she somehow didn't summon up the energy. A thought flashed through her mind, and a subtle smirk sat on her face.

"What?" Jeff obviously noticed the smirk.

"Did we-" She signalled at the desk. "-on there?"

Jeff lifted himself off the desk, and took a couple of steps back to look at it. He tilted his head, before grinning over at Leah. "I think we also did it on that sofa."

With a squeal, Leah hopped to her feet and winced. "I think all that proves is Jeff doesn't redecorate his office very often."

Both exchanged a laugh, before silence settled among them. It was as if nothing had changed between them; Leah still felt comfortable around Jeff. The pair hadn't actually spoken since he arrived in TNA; AJ was always disapproving of Leah and Jeff, even before they were dating, so when they were dating, she didn't want to irritate AJ-

"So, now you and AJ aren't together anymore, do you maybe wanna go out tomorrow night?"

But AJ wasn't around anymore, and she was a big girl. She could do as she pleased.

"Aren't you dating Beth?" Leah asked, referring to Jeff's long term girlfriend.

"We broke up just before I joined TNA." He replied, jamming his hands into his pockets. "We both wanted different things from the relationship, and it's been a couple of months, and I think I'm ready to move on."

_But was Leah? _

"Are you ready to move on?" Jeff continued, reiterating Leah's exact thoughts.

Instinctively, Leah replied. "I guess I am."


	22. Fuck, Marry, Kill

Please leave a review :)

* * *

**FUCK, MARRY, KILL**

**

* * *

**

"Now, you called me at pretty short notice, but I managed to bring plenty of options." Christy came into Leah's bedroom with a laundry bag full of clothes. "In here, there are four dresses, two skirts, three tops, one pair of pants, and three pairs of heels." She dropped the bag with a thump onto the bed, leaving Leah to look on wide-eyed.

Having a friend with a wardrobe the size of Peru definitely had its advantages; especially when she's pretty much the same size as you.

"Wow," Leah gawped at the heap; Christy was certainly beneficial in the 'moving on' process.

"So just take whatever you think will look good," Christy sat down at Leah's dressing table, already arranging make-up for her friend to put on.

"I can't thank you enough for coming over so quickly." Leah told Christy, as she began browsing through the dresses. "My wardrobe is seriously lacking, and I haven't had time to go shopping for a new-this is cute!" She held up a dark green silk asymmetric dress, before placing the hanger round her neck, so it hung down. "What do you think?"

"I love it, but it's too tight around my-"

"Everything's too tight around your boobs; they're huge." Leah rolled her eyes. "Which means it'll be perfect on me."

"You seem excited about tonight," It was then Leah realised Christy pulled the make-up out for herself, as she began to execute the dark, smoky-eyed look. "What are you guys doing?"

"Just going out for drinks,"

"Really?" Christy turned around from the mirror with a smirk on her now glossy lips. "_Just_ drinks?"

"Yes, _just_ drinks!" Leah imitated Christy's disapproving tone, before swiping the mascara wand out of her friend's hand, using it herself. "I'm not a _total_ whore." As she said that, she checked herself out in the mirror; the dress was a suitable length, and there wasn't any cleavage on show. She had to back up her argument.

"You're right. You're not a whore, but Jeff is." Christy laughed.

"Black or silver sandals?" Leah cut in.

"Black. No, silver." Christy debated to herself. "Yes; definitely silver."

"Anyway, I'm pretty excited about it." Leah admitted, putting down her mascara for a moment. "I feel like this is a fresh start, y'know? I can't cry over AJ anymore, and Jeff is the perfect guy to move on with. He's fun, he's cool, and he's not looking for anything too serious."

"Is that really the kind of guy you can see yourself being with?" Christy asked. She knew Leah too well; the girl liked security, and having a support-system from a guy. The last thing she needed was a loose cannon like Hardy making her even more unhinged than she already was. "I'm happy you're moving on, but...are you really over AJ?"

Leah couldn't believe what Christy had just asked her. She wasn't an idiot; she knew that behind her back, all of her friends were probably talking about her love-life, but none of them had actually said anything to her face. They knew Leah was a private person, and that included her love life. Until now, Leah thought she was over AJ, but now? She wasn't so sure. Of course, she missed him, but she was doing the best she could to keep him out of her mind. What they had was special, and it was going to take more than time to heal her wounds.

He wasn't just her boyfriend; he was her best friend.

"Okay, so maybe I'm not gonna marry Jeff, or have his kids, but I'm not looking for that right now." Leah replied as sturdily as she could. "I mean, yeah, I've still got feelings for AJ, because it's only been a week since we broke up. These things take time."

"Don't you think it's a little soon to be dating?"

"Maybe. But it's better too soon than too late, right?" Looking up at the clock on the wall, Leah realised she had to get going. "So is it alright if you drive me to the Chucko bar? I would drive, but I want to be able to have a drink without creating some nasty road kill."

* * *

Pounding back yet another shot of tequila, Leah could feel her troubles floating away as the alcohol ran through her body, filling her senses with a light, warm feeling. "Okay, okay, I've got another one." She smiled, her fingers tracing the rim of the shot glass. "Velvet Sky, Madison Rayne and Lacey Von Erich."

Jeff only paused for a couple of seconds before making his decision. "I'd fuck Lacey, marry Madison and kill Velvet."

"You answered that _very_ quickly. Explain."

"Well, Velvet is Shane's ex, and he's one of my best friend's so that immediately takes Velvet off the table. Then there's Lacey, who's hot but hasn't got a lot going on up here," He tapped the side of his head. "So she'd probably get annoying after a while. Then there's Madison, who's got looks and could probably do simple multiplication if you asked her too. It was an easy choice really." They stopped for a moment to both take another shot, before Jeff offered up a trio of his own. "I've got one; Ric Flair, Orlando Jordan and Abyss."

"No!" She cringed, her skin crawling at the thought. "I gave you three hot chicks; you're just mean!"

"Clock's ticking."

"Fine." She groaned. "I'd fuck...Orlando Jordan. I'm marry Abyss and I'd kill Ric Flair."

"Really?"

"I hate Ric Flair, so getting rid of him was a simple choice. Then there's Orlando, can you really imagine being married to him? No thank you, I'd rather get it over with in one quick fuck. And Abyss may not be much of a looker, but he's sweet enough."

"Well played," Jeff grinned. "But why'd you hate Ric Flair?"

"Let's just say if it weren't for him, AJ and I would probably still be together," Leah tucked her hair behind her ears and bit down on her lip. "I don't like Ric, plain and simple. He's not a nice man, and he has bad intentions."

Jeff didn't pry any more, and Leah was glad. They'd had a brilliant night, and she didn't want that to be ruined by talk of Ric. Reconnecting with Jeff was just what Leah needed; an old friend that could provide her with a bit of fun in her life. Fun was definitely what she needed, and tequila shots were a _lot _of fun.

"What do you say we get out of here?" Leah suggested, digging into her purse and pulling out some money.

_AJ would've insisted on paying for her. _

So hand-in hand, Leah and Jeff left the bar. There was something about Jeff that was exciting to be around. The charismatic enigma wasn't just a gimmick; it was who he was. He was eccentric, and odd and the exact opposite of AJ. AJ was safe, and comforting and reliable, whereas Jeff was none of those things, and Leah liked it.

"I had a lot of fun tonight." Approaching her house, Leah went into her purse to pull out her house key. She didn't want the night to end just yet. "So if you wanted to come in for a little while-"

"There's a box on your porch." Jeff pointed out a large cardboard box which sat on Leah's doorstep. They both approached it cautiously, and as soon as Leah got close, she knew what it was.

"Here." Leah thrust the key into Jeff's hand. "There's tequila and shot glasses in the cupboard. Let's get this after party rolling." She forced a smile onto her face until Jeff was inside the house. Then, she let her guard down.

Her shaky hands fumbled through the box, pulling out items on-by-one and remembering their significance. There was a stack of DVDs, a couple of CDs – Kings of Leon, Train, some others she forgot she even had – and worst of all, the person items; her vanilla perfume, bras and panties she'd keep at his house if she stayed there, but the one thing that brought a lump to her throat was a pair of holey green socks. It seemed stupid, but there was a story behind those socks; AJ would tease her about how ugly the socks were, and Leah would argue their comfort benefits. Then he'd rip the socks off – among other items of clothing – and tickle her feet until she had tears of laughter running down her face. He'd tell her what a cute laugh she had and she'd beam with happiness.

She was crying now, but there was no laughter involved.

Leah wanted to get rid of the box, but how could she? There were too many memories to throw away. Instead, she carried the box up to her bedroom and placed it at the back of her closet behind everything else so it was out of sight.

"_Are you alright up there?" _Jeff called from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah, fine! I'll be right down, I'm just gonna check my voice mail." Getting out her cell phone, Leah found it to be the nearest distraction she could.

"_You have one missed call." _The woman from the phone company told her, before the voice switched to that of Traci Brooks. "_Hey Leah, it's Traci. Frankie and I are having a little get together at our house tomorrow night and we'd love it if you could come along._ _We've invited AJ, but we still really want you there, so I hope you can make it." _And the call cut off.

"Are you okay?" Looking over at the bedroom door, Leah saw Jeff watching her. She wondered how long he'd been stood there.

"Yeah." She lied. "It's been a hard couple of weeks. _Really _hard."

"Do you want me to go?"

"No," Shaking her head vehemently, Leah got up and stood in front of Jeff, placing her hands either side of his head and kissing him on the lips very carefully. "Please, don't go." Barely removing her lips from his, she whispered again, "Please, don't go."

Jeff nodded a couple of times, before allowing his lips to meet Leah's again. "I'm not going anywhere."


	23. It's Not Over

Hope you enjoy this update :)  
Thank you to everyone that reviews each chapter, and to those that keep reading!  
Please leave a review, this story only has a few chapters left, and it would be great to get more feedback :) Xx

* * *

**IT'S NOT OVER**

**

* * *

**

"I need a favour," The knockouts locker room was virtually empty, apart from the odd knockout here or there; however as it was so small, it seemed packed. Alison 'Chelsea' Skipper sat in front of the mirror, fixing her make-up, and Madison Rayne's fingers rapidly skidded across the keypad of her cell phone, as she texted, leaning back against one of the lockers. In the quietest corner of the locker room, Traci kept Leah company as she got ready for her match.

"Ask away," Traci replied breezily, handing her friend her wrestling boots.

"Is AJ bringing anyone to yours tonight?" There was apprehension in Leah's voice. She didn't want to come across as desperate, but she needed to know where he was at. If he was going to bring some floozy to Frankie and Traci's, then Leah didn't want to show up alone, when in actual fact, she _did_ have someone. There were no tears in her tubs of Ben and Jerry's.

"I dunno. He hadn't mentioned anything to me, but you could always ask Frankie. He might know."

"Would it be totally tactless if I brought someone along?" Leah decided to throw it out there as innocently as possible.

"Jeff Hardy? Maybe a little." Thinking about her answer, Traci paused. "You might have moved on, but AJ may not have. Sure, you guys didn't end on the best terms but you don't want to come across as bitchy. We all have to get along, and if you and AJ don't, then things are going to be seriously difficult."

"I don't want things to be difficult for you guys-"

"Hey, Leah?" There was a tap on the door, and in came backstage assistant, Rosa, holding a clipboard and looking just as rushed off her feet as she usually did. It was well-known that Rosa pretty much ran the show and kept things ticking over.

"Yeah?"

"You need to get a move on; you're on in a couple of minutes." She announced, before leaving again.

"Alright, I'm out," Leah pulled on her elbow pads and placed a kiss on her friend's cheek. "I guess Jeff and I will be round yours later then."

"Only if you think that's for the best," Traci shrugged, watching as Leah left the locker room. Traci sighed; she knew there'd be drama at the party, and she knew telling Leah she could invite Jeff was a bad idea.

Before she could contemplate her decision anymore, Traci felt her cell phone ringing in her jeans pocket, alerting her of a text message. She opened her inbox.

_Is Leah bringing anyone along tonight – AJ x_

* * *

"I dunno if I can do this," Pulling up outside Traci and Frankie's house, Leah felt like a pack of butterflies had been released into her chest, as she could see the lights on the inside through the windows. Earlier on, inviting Jeff seemed like a good idea, but not anymore.

"You'll be fine," Jeff leaned over to give Leah a quick kiss, before continuing to squeeze her hand. "It's your friends inside; they're not conspiring against you. You've got no reason to be scared."

"It's been so hard on them."

"Who?"

"Mine and AJ's friends. Christy, Joe, Traci, Frankie; I never even hear from Chris anymore," Leah admitted. After the pair bumped into each other at the airport, Leah and Chris hadn't spoken, and soon after, Joe told her that Chris had been catching a plane to his new home in Chicago, as without TNA, he saw no point of staying in Florida.

"Maybe you should stop thinking about other people and do what makes you happy." A lot of people had said that to Leah, but coming from Jeff, it sounded a lot wiser. Hardy may have been aloof, and a little odd, but when he spoke, people listened.

Nothing Leah said would sound intelligible enough, so she stayed silent, letting Jeff kiss the top of her head. Considering their history, it felt like the pair had been together forever, but it hadn't even been long enough for her to refer to him as her boyfriend. After all, Jeff was very mellow, and wouldn't want to pressurize their relationship with labels.

Getting out of the car and making his way over to Leah's side, Jeff opened her door in true gentleman fashion. "Ready m'lady?"

"As I'll ever be."

"And I must say, you are looking beautiful tonight."

Leah blushed, looking through the window at her reflection to see her – well, Christy's – short black ruffle dress, killer heels and blazer combo. She hoped it would send out the perfect 'I'm Over You' message to AJ, but didn't want to look too overdressed. "Thank you, you're not looking too bad yourself."

"I know! Look how much of an effort I made for you!" Jeff's idea of making an effort was navy jeans and a plain black shirt, but Leah appreciated it all the same. Neither one said anything else, as they walked up the driveway and rang the doorbell.

"Glad you guys could come," It was Traci that answered the door, greeting Leah with a hug and Jeff with a polite handshake. "Come inside, get yourself a drink and...mingle."

With Jeff close behind her, Leah entered the house and was instantly greeted by a swarm of familiar faces, mostly TNA wrestlers but a couple of Traci and Frankie's person friends.

Leah also noted there was no AJ.

"What's going on, Willis?" Jeff was now talking to Ken Anderson, so Leah was free to roam, when she felt Joe behind her putting her in a headlock.

His application was a little too weak, so Leah reversed into an arm bar before quickly releasing Joe and embracing him. "Hey buddy,"

"What's going on? We never hang out anymore; you gotta make some time for Joe!"

"Definitely." Joe was one of Leah's best friends; definitely her 'go-to' for some laughs. "We could get some beers in and watch the game at..." Leah kept talking, but Joe's gaze was no longer on her, instead he was looking out of the window. "What?"

"I don't want to alarm you, but AJ just arrived." Joe paused. "And there's another chick with him."

Leah didn't hesitate in swing her head around to stare through the window; calmed in the knowledge he couldn't see her stare. He looked relaxed, yet smart, in suit trousers and a buttoned-down white collar shirt. His date wasn't too shabby either. She wasn't the same girl Leah found leaving AJ's bathroom, but she was very similar; in fact, she was called Carrie and was one of the backstage make-up artists, but she could've been a model. She was leggy – about the same height as AJ, maybe taller – with long blonde hair and a pearly white smile. She had a fierce figure, only accentuated by her white body con dress.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine. I'm just gonna use the bathroom," Joe raised a concerned eyebrow and rested a hand on Leah's upper arm. "Seriously, I'm fine. I just need a couple of minutes to...compose myself."

"Okay," His eyebrow stayed arched as Joe watched Leah walk up the stairs before disappearing into the bathroom.

Standing up straight as she viewed herself in the mirror, Leah wondered if this other girl had some kind of advantage over her. They were complete opposites, Leah being a petite brunette and Carrie being a curvy, taller blonde. Leah lightly touched her face, attempting to find faults in herself. She knew she wasn't ugly, but nor was she a spectacular beauty; in all honesty, she saw herself as quite average. Her brown hair was long and straight, with just a couple of natural waves, and her skin was reasonably flawless, even without make-up. She hadn't doubted her appearance before, but seeing AJ with a girl the polar opposite of her, she had her doubts.

With one final muss of her hair, Leah left the bathroom and made her way back downstairs to face the music.

"You alright?" Joe asked, as he and Christy turned around upon noticing Leah approach with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"And you saw AJ and Carrie arrive together?"

Another nod from Leah. "I could be bitter about it, but I'm not." Leah looked across the room and saw that Jeff was with the happy couple themselves, doing his usual Jeff Hardy thing and being perfectly cool to everyone. "Carrie's nice."

"But you guys aren't exactly gonna be going out for manis and pedis together," Christy chipped in. "Are you gonna talk to AJ?"

"I'm not exactly gonna go out of my way to," Leah replied. "Anyway, I've been here for a while, and still haven't got myself a drink."

"You want me to get you one?" Joe asked.

"I think I'm capable of finding my way around the kitchen," She smiled thankfully, before walking towards the kitchen. She'd been in this house so many times before, so she could seamlessly weave her way through groups of people to go to the fridge. Once there, she dug out a beer and popped open the cap.

"Hey Leah,"

The brunette turned around and saw that close behind her was Carrie, biting down on her lip and lacing her fingers together, nervously. Something told Leah that Carrie was intimidated of her.

"Sorry, am I blocking your way?" Leah moved over so the fridge was available.

"No, actually, I wanted to talk to you."

"Oh really?" Leah leaned back against the counter; she wanted to come across as cool and composed, but that wasn't the case. "What about?"

"I think you know," Carrie sighed. "Obviously I came with AJ tonight, and I just wanted to talk to you about it."

Leah didn't want to _hear_ about it.

"He hasn't told me a lot about why you guys broke up, and in some ways, I'm not sure I want to know, but it's just..." Her voice trailed off. "If there's still _something_ there, I don't want to get in the middle of it. It's not serious between AJ and I yet and I don't want it to be until I know it's completely over between the two of you. I don't want to be in the middle of a love triangle." She paused again, this time frowning as she did so. "So is it? Is it completely over between the two of you?"

It took Leah a couple of moments to answer. "Well, we're not together, are we?"

"Sorry, guess I shouldn't have bothered asking." At the sound of Leah's angry tone, Carrie turned on her heel and walked off, shaking her head.

Instantly, Leah felt guilty. Carrie hadn't done anything wrong; she was a sweet girl, it was just a case of wrong place, wrong time, and wrong relationship to get involved in. It wasn't like Leah wanted to make an enemy out of Carrie, but her answer was the only one she could think of. Was it completely over between her and AJ? Her real answer was would it ever _really_ be over? There was a lot of unfinished business with AJ, but she couldn't tell Carrie that, so defensiveness was all she could give her.

"Hey, were you talking to Carrie?" Jeff approached Leah, placing a hand on her back.

"I think I'm gonna get out of here." Leah didn't answer Jeff's question. "Do you mind if I take the car?"

"Don't worry about me; I'll catch a lift with Ken. Are you alright, though?"

"Yeah, I just really want to get out of here." She gave Jeff a quick kiss, before weaving her way through crowds of people. She couldn't get out of there fast enough.


	24. A New Leaf

I'm actually quite happy with how this chapter turned out. The last bit was a little rushed, but ah well :)  
There's only chapters 24 (this one!), 25, 26 and 27 left, so please leave a **review** while you can!  
Hope you enjoy it! X

* * *

**A NEW LEAF**

**

* * *

**

"_Hey, what're you up to," _Jeff asked from the other end of the phone, as Leah pulled up in the grocery store parking lot.

"I've just arrived at the grocery store," Leah answered, digging into her pocket and pulling out a messy scrap of paper with all the essentials written down in her scrawled handwriting. Over the years, her writing had got increasingly worse; everyone backstage teased her about it, but she didn't care. It wasn't like her good penmanship was a big part of her job. Getting out of her car, she walked to the Whole Foods Market and picked up a basket.

"_Cool. So what're we doing tonight?" _

"You're coming over for tonight," She said decisively as she quickly scuttled past the confectionary aisle. Keeping in good shape was pretty much a given in her job, and her sweet tooth always wanted to jeopardise to that. As much as she craved Kit Kats, Milk Duds and Hershey's Cookie's and Cream, she resisted and made her way to the safety of the fruit and vegetable counter. "I'll make us dinner."

"_Sounds good. Shall I come round at eight-ish?" _

"Great, see you then," Leah put her phone back in her handbag, and felt a smile come onto her face.

It was nice to see Jeff taking some initiative; in their first relationship, it was always Leah calling and asking where he was, and what he was doing, but now, Jeff was taking some responsibility. Perhaps he'd grown up, and maybe even turned over a new leaf. A more mature leaf.

Since her encounter with Carrie at Frankie and Traci's, Jeff had been a brilliant rock of support. She went home and collapsed on her bed, but when she woke up in the morning, there was a tray of breakfast on her bedside table, and Jeff lying next to her – he also removed her heels, thank God, those heels could've torn through her covers. Obviously it showed her she needed to lock her front door more, but it also showed how caring Jeff was. When she first got together with him for their 'second coming' (Joe's words, not her own), she saw him as someone who'd show her a good time. A bit of meaningless sex, some drinks and laughs, but he'd become more than that. He'd become a confidante, someone she could talk to about her problems, and she wasn't sure if that was what she was looking for.

Leah knew what she was going to make; filet mignon steak with a mushroom-wine sauce. She wasn't a terrible cook, but she wasn't exactly Rachel Ray. The last thing you want to be doing on a date is experimenting with cooking new food; you want fireworks between the two of you, not in the kitchen.

"Shallots, mushrooms..." Her hands floated over the vegetables she needed, before she bagged them up and put them in her basket. She knew this recipe like the back of her hand; it was her date meal. AJ always loved it, and-

"Hello stranger," In the middle of her bagging, a familiar voice came from behind Leah, and turning around she was surprised to see Karen Angle there. "We haven't spoken in a while, have we?"

"Oh my God, Karen!" Leah put down the basket and gave her old friend a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Karen used to be a regular backstage at TNA, until her divorce from Kurt. She was now with Jeff Jarrett, but she decided to keep a lower profile, not wanting to cause any tension backstage, so Leah rarely saw her. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Karen held up her basket, "Just picking up some essentials. I'm sick of living off a wrestler's diet." Leah assumed she was talking about Jeff.

"Oh, I know, when AJ and I were together, we had completely different diets, so I'd have to bring _my_ food to his house, and vice versa." It just slipped out; bringing up AJ wasn't something Leah intended to do.

Karen nodded with a sympathetic smile. "I was sorry to hear about you and AJ splitting up. I was never around while the two of you were a couple, but even when you were just friends, there was a...spark between the two of you."

Leah's smile turned sad. "Yeah, well, all good things come to an end, right?"

"Right," She blushed; did Karen think she'd been talking about her and Kurt? "But you're single now?"

"Actually, I'm with Jeff Hardy," It sounded strange to say aloud.

"Oh, and it's serious?"

"Sort of, I'm not really sure yet," Leah admitted with a small smile. "It's like role reversal of a couple of years ago; he's more interested in getting serious, and I'm not ready for that."

"Of course," Karen commented, "You just got out of a serious relationship with AJ. You need to work out your own stuff before you can bring someone else into it."

Nothing Leah could've said in that moment would have sounded intelligent, so she stayed silent and nodded at the wiser woman's advice.

Karen sighed, "Jeff told me about you guys' kiss. Jarrett, that is."

Leah winced; she'd put that at the back of her mind for a reason, and hearing Karen say it aloud made her very uncomfortable. It also surprised her; Jeff was so keen for them to keep it between themselves, she never would've expected he'd be the one to let it slip. "Why'd he tell you?"

"Poor baby felt so guilty about it, he _had_ to tell me," Karen said with a hint of a smile. "I don't blame you, sweetie. You were going through a rough time, and I hear there was Jack Daniels involved."

Normally, that kind of pity would've pissed Leah off, but this woman had a right to be a little degrading; she had kissed her fiancée, after all. "Yeah, well, under normal circumstances, it never would've happened."

Neither one said anything for a while, but Leah could feel Karen observing her, her eyes burning holes in Leah. "You seem so unhappy," Karen said gently, "The old Leah's gone, and been replaced by someone who seems...tired, and drained." Ouch, a little harsh, Leah thought. "You're a good girl, Leah. And you're someone that deserves only good things and good people around her." Karen picked up her basket, before placing a kiss on Leah's cheek. "Be safe," And with that, she walked off to the checkouts, leaving Leah wondering what the hell she was supposed to make of what she just heard.

* * *

.

Karen's words were still plaguing on Leah's mind, as she lay in bed. The idea that she'd become a fraction of the person she used to be scared her. She liked to think that on the surface, she was coming across as reasonably cool and composed, but obviously that wasn't the case, and the more she thought about it, the more she realised how true it was. People definitely acted differently around her now, as if she were more fragile.

"What's on your mind?" Jeff asked as he lay next to her, running his fingers through her hair. Normally when he did it, she found it therapeutic, but tonight, she couldn't focus.

"A lot," She allowed herself a chuckle. "I bumped into Karen Angle at the grocery store."

"Oh yeah? What did she have to say?"

"She thinks I'm unhappy, and I'm not the girl I used to be," She turned onto her stomach and used her elbows to prop herself up, so she could look at Jeff. "And in some ways, I think I agree,"

"You're not happy?" He tucked some of her hair behind her ear, a sad look on his face. He had some idea of what was coming.

"I don't know how I feel right now, but I do know it's not fair of me to drag you into my problems."

Jeff sighed. "I'll look after you while you go through all this AJ stuff, because I care about you, Leah. But I don't want you to be unhappy with me."

"I don't want you to think that; it's not _you_ that's making me unhappy."

"But I'm not exactly making things better, am I?" She didn't have an answer for that. Jeff carefully kissed her on the lips, before getting out of bed. "Y'know, if it was a different time, then I think we could've been good,"

"I do too." Leah agreed, as she pulled the covers tightly around herself, suddenly feeling vulnerable. She watched as he put on his boxers, jeans and t-shirt, before closing the door behind him with a gentle click.

And that was Jeff out of her life. It was a quick break-up, and oddly enough, she didn't want to wallow. She didn't want to mourn what she'd lost; instead she wanted to move on. So she picked up her cell phone from her bedside and dialled a number she had yet to call.

"Hello? WWE headquarters? This is Leah Willis; I need to book an appointment with Vincent McMahon," She said with as little apprehension in her voice as she could.

"_Okay, what is the subject of the booking?" _

"I'd like to accept his offer of a WWE contract."


	25. Unauthorised Absence

Wow, we really are ending soon, aren't we?  
I've decided to add an extra chapter to the end, so after this one, there'll be chapters 26, 27 and 28 :)  
Please leave a **review** and enjoy :)

* * *

**UNAUTHORISED ABSENCE**

* * *

After a long, hot shower, Leah felt sufficiently relaxed. At least, on the outside; her stomach was a minefield of agitated butterflies. Wandering around her house towels around both her hair and body, she continued to get ready for the day. Today was her final day in TNA, and she was a bag of nerves and all that was left for Leah to do was go to the Impact Zone to say goodbye to everyone.

Her last show had taken place the previous night, and had gone better than she could have ever hoped; she and her most noted rival Angelina Love tore the house down in one final, epic battle and despite the fact Angelina retained the title, both Knockouts proved why they were some of the best women's wrestlers in the world. And the ending was even better; the fans, aware this was her last match, started a 'Thank you, Leah!' chant, forcing her to choke back the tears. It was the perfect send-off, but it made her sad to see what amazing fans she was saying goodbye to. Would the WWE fans accept her in the same way?

Leah got dressed into a grey pencil skirt, a pinstripe white shirt and black heels. She would be signing the final contracts that shipped her from TNA to WWE, so she wanted to look reasonably smart. Hulk, Dixie and Jeff would all be there, and she wanted to make a good final impression.

Upon realising she was running late, Leah sprinted down to her kitchen and picked up the piece of now-cool toast that sat in the toaster – she'd put it in there before she showed – and began munching, as she used her free hand to towel-dry her hair. Everything was moving in fast-forward now; the toast was gone, and her hair was becoming damp, as opposed to being drenched. Now where was her iPod? She could swear she left it on the-

"Crap," Leah muttered, upon hearing her cell phone ringing on the kitchen table. She ran over and answered it. "Hello?"

"_Hey, it's Gail. You sound stressed, did I catch you at a bad time?" _Now, Leah didn't expect to hear from _her. _

"Sorry, I'm in a bit of a state at the moment, but I've got time." She forced a smile, even though Gail couldn't see her. "What's up?"

"_Well, I heard you were coming over to the WWE. Why didn't you tell me?" _

"It's all been a really quick process." It was true; it was only the previous week that she'd broken up with Jeff and called up Vince, telling him she'd accept the two-year WWE contract. "I finished my last TNA Impact last night."

"_I saw it on TV. You and Angelina put on an insane match; it was brilliant. So are you excited about joining the biggest wrestling company in the world?" _

"Of course," Leah tried to put any doubts away at the back of her mind. She tried to remember how excited Gail had been when she moved to the WWE, and wanted to be just as ecstatic.

The former TNA employee softened her voice. _"And AJ's okay with it?" _

"Well, he's not going to a play a part in it, seeing as we're not together anymore." She automatically assumed someone liked Gail would've been aware of her and AJ, but apparently not.

"_Crap, I had no idea, Leah-"_

"Listen, Gail, I've got to get going; I need to get ready, but I'll call you later tonight, and we can have a real chat then. Okay?"

"_Sure." _Leah hung up before Gail could say anything else.

As she began putting on her make-up, Leah wondered why AJ hadn't said anything to her. After all, he must've been aware that she was leaving, and if the roles were reversed, she'd be willing to put their differences aside for a couple of minutes to wish him the best. Maybe he'd be at the Impact Zone later that day; she really hoped he would be.

* * *

The only audible sound in Jeff Jarrett's office was the sound of his pen scratching against paper, as he scribbled his signature onto the contracts. "Done." He dropped the biro onto the wood desk, causing Leah to wince at the sudden noise. "All finished on our side."

"Wow."

"I know. You're no longer a member of TNA. How does it feel?"

Leah couldn't quite believe it; it was impossible to put into words. She'd been with TNA from the very beginning, and despite a couple of indie stints and a brief run in Ring Of Honor and SHIMMER, it had been her main source of employment. With her whole Willis clan being on the other side of the country in Washington, her co-workers became her real family. There was Jeff, her clever, caring father, Joe, her wise-cracking, yet protective older brother, and Christy, Traci and Taylor, her always loyal sisters that bickered non-stop, but would do anything for each other. So saying goodbye? Not seeing their faces or hearing their voices every day? She couldn't comprehend it. Of course, she had friends in the WWE – there was Gail, and she knew Phil 'CM Punk' Brooks from her time in ROH – but not friends like these.

"You're gonna be just fine," Jeff leaned across the table to squeeze her hand.

"Thanks," Leah wasn't convinced.

"I'm being serious. You're a strong girl and you'll do just fine. But if things don't work out, there's always a place for you here." He paused. "I mean, of course I want things to work out with the WWE, but..." Realising he was rambling, Jeff stopped. "I just never thought I'd see you leave."

"Me neither." She admitted. "But I am."

"Are you excited?"

"Not really, but I think that's just because it hasn't sunk in yet." At least, she hoped that was the case.

"So what's the plan?"

"Well, I'm flying out to Connecticut Monday morning." _Three days wasn't a long time._ "I'm going straight to Vince's office at the WWE headquarters. Then I'm back in Florida to spend a month in development at FCW-"

"Development?" Jeff wrinkled his brow, concerned. Leah had been wrestling for almost a decade; she didn't need training.

"I requested it. I don't want my ring skills getting rusty-"

"You certainly didn't look rusty last night."

Leah brushed off Jeff's comment. "And after my month in FCW, I'm joining the Smackdown roster because they want me to takeover where Michelle McCool leaves off when she has her baby-"

"You're gonna be a heel?" Another expression of disbelief. For Leah's entire TNA run, apart from fourteen months in 2005 and 2006, she'd always been a babyface. It wasn't even planned; the fans just automatically fell in love with her.

"I'm actually pretty excited. I've never really been a heel for a long time, so it'll be a good test."

"Well, you usually excel at everything you do, so I'm sure a heel run will be no different."

"Thank you." Smiling softly at Jeff, Leah wondered how she'd cope without his warm words of encouragement. "For everything. If I weren't you for...none of this would be possible. You've been so good to me?"

"Do you wanna go for a walk around?" Jeff held out a hand for Leah to take, and he led her out of his office. "I think there are a few people that wanna say goodbye."

* * *

Catering had been converted into a goodbye party for the departing knockout. There were balloons everywhere and a large banner covered one of the walls, reading, 'WE'LL MISS YOU, LEAH!' – made by Jeff Hardy in a 'No hard feelings' appeal. Her iPod – stolen by Traci, who finally made use of her spare key – was plugged into the speaker, so she only had to listen to her favourite songs.

The party itself was overwhelming. After making an effort to speak to every single person there, the speeches began. Christy and Joe cracked a lot of jokes, talking about all the fun times they shared with Leah, but the laughs quickly disappeared when Traci stood up. She talked about how Leah was the best friend she'd ever had and they'd always be that way and even if one was on the other side of the country, they were only a phone call away. Then Jeff described how after his wife's death, Leah became a forth daughter, someone he could lean on for support, and someone that was, once again, only a phone call away. By the end, Leah found herself using a cake-stained napkin to wipe away her tears, and she cursed herself for not bringing any tissues.

"You ready to go?" Joe, who was giving Leah a ride home, placed his black jacket over her shoulders, shielding her from the now-cool air, as they walked through the parking lot.

She nodded, walking towards Joe's car. "Joe?" There was something she had to ask him.

"Yeah?" He said distractedly, fumbling in his pockets, probably for his keys.

"Did you invite AJ along tonight?" Her ex's absence had been like a giant black hole in the room and she wanted to see him more than anyone at the whole party.

Sadly bowing his head, Joe said, "I texted him and sent him an invite, but I didn't get a response. We tried but...I'm really sorry."

"It's fine," She shrugged, the jacket slipping. "If he doesn't want to see me, he doesn't want to see me. I can't do anything about it."

Joe opened his mouth to respond, but thought better of it. "Listen, Frankie has my keys and cell phone; do you mind if I go back inside and fetch them?"

"Go ahead."

"I won't be a sec,"

Watching as Joe jogged back into the Impact Zone, Leah suddenly became very aware of the quiet. It felt cold and lonely, making her wish Joe would hurry up. Leah dug into her handbag and pulled out her cell phone. No new messages? She'd have to make the first move. Picking out the first number in her contacts, she felt frustrated she'd had to do this over the phone.

"Hey AJ, it's me." She said upon hearing the voicemail beep. "I assume you've heard that I'm leaving on Monday and...I wish you'd have come tonight. I don't want to leave things like this between us, but I guess that's just the way it is. Above everything else, AJ, you were my best friend and I'll miss you a lot, probably more than anyone here. I hope you're happy in whatever you do. I never saw you as a bad guy, just-"

_'Your message time has run out. Please press-'_

"Fuck." Leah shoved her phone back into her bag and found herself wiping away tears. That hadn't gone to plan.

"Found 'em!" Joe called from the other side of the parking lot, jingling the keys into the silent air. With a shaky wrist, Leah waved back.


	26. Confessions Of A Broken Heart

After this chapter, there'll be two left :)  
Will AJ and Leah be able to patch things up in time?  
Please leave a **review** :) Xx

* * *

**CONFESSIONS OF A BROKEN HEART**

**

* * *

**

"Seriously, Jeff, I don't need any help!" Leah protested down the phone, as it sat in-between her jaw and shoulder whilst she sellotaped up a box. "I'm practically finished all this packing and honestly, another person will probably just slow me down!"

"_Hey, just trying to be a good friend!" _Jeff Hardy chuckled down the line. "_I don't want you to be lonely whilst packing. Are you sure you don't want me to at least come and keep you company?" _

"Like I said, you'll probably just slow me down."

There was no way Leah had expected Jeff to be so casual towards her after their break-up, but he had been. Apparently he wanted to stay friends, even when she was in the WWE because their time together showed him she was a 'positive influence in his life'. Obviously she wanted their relationship to stay purely platonic; men were definitely out of the equation at this point.

"_I don't understand why you're moving house. You're on the road all the time, so you're never at home anyway. All this change isn't necessary."_

Leah begged to differ. "The whole point of me going to the WWE is so I can have a fresh start and if I'm still in Florida, I'll just be surrounded by TNA. Besides, when my mom died and my family were all on the other side of the country, I felt so...isolated. At least when I _am_ off the road, I'll be with my family-" She didn't get the chance to say anymore as her doorbell ringing indicated someone's arrival.

"_What?" _Jeff noticed her mid-sentence stop.

"It's the doorbell. It's not you surprising me with bubble wrap and moving gifts, is it?" Leah grinned.

"'_Fraid not. Shall I call you back later?" _

"Yes please," Leah smiled before hanging up the phone and making her way to the front door. Swinging the door open, she was stunned to see AJ stood there.

"Can I come in?"

* * *

Stunned, was in fact an understatement. Leah could barely believe he was there before her. The highlights once despised were slowly disappearing from his hair, returning it to its natural brown, and he was wearing jeans, sneakers and a plain grey t-shirt, almost identically matching her skinny jeans, grey t-shirt and bare feet. He looked like the old AJ, the one she fell in love with, and not the guy in sharp suits and designer sunglasses.

"Can I come in?" He asked again as she hadn't said anything since he opened the door.

Managing to control the shakes that had taken over her, Leah stepped aside, allowing AJ to come inside. "Sorry about this, it's a bit of a jungle in here," Leah was able to say, signalling at the sea of boxes surrounding her living room.

"This place certainly looks different," AJ commented, standing awkwardly in amongst the cardboard.

"Yeah, I would offer you a seat but all my furniture is in storage."

"So where're you sleeping?"

"Angelina's got a spare room at her place so I'm crashing there at night and coming back here to pack during the day." Leah tried to busy herself by packing the items from her mantel piece into a new box.

"Well, do you have a little bit of time to just...stop and talk?"

"Okay," This was long overdue, Leah thought to herself, as she sat down, cross-legged on the floor and signalled for AJ to do the same.

"Before you say anything," AJ spoke up, confident and clear. "I wanted to tell you that Ric and I...outside of what needs to be done storyline wise...he's not a part of my life anymore."

_Thank God. _"Okay,"

"When I realised he didn't have my best intentions in mind, I told him I didn't want to be personally associated with him." Catching her off guard, AJ took Leah's hands in his own. "I just want us to be completely honest with each other."

"Okay," Considering this had been the response to all three of AJ's last statements, Leah wondered if she was capable of saying anything else.

He took a breath, as if mentally rehearsing a speech he'd been planning. "I know you thought I put my association with Ric and my career before you, but that's not the case. It was always you first, Leah and I wish you knew that. I just caught up in the lifestyle, but it...it never felt right. The way he acts, the way he treats people, the dozens of women; that's fine for Ric Flair, but it's not me."

"I know," She said softly. Well, it was better than a forth 'okay'.

"When you told me what Ric said, I blew up at you because I didn't want to believe what you were saying was true. I think deep down, I knew it was true, but I didn't want to admit it. My life was seemed so perfect, just one part of it falling apart seemed shattering." He paused, swallowing. "And then you went back to Tacoma-"

"About that-"

"You were gone for almost a month and those first twenty days were torture. Every day, I'd pick up the phone, dial your cell phone number and then hang up again because I didn't know what to say to you." He laughed at himself. "I didn't think you were coming back and Ric kept telling me it was time for me to move on. I wasn't _ready_ to move on, but I thought maybe you had."

"I hadn't," Leah whispered. _Haven't. _

"I didn't know that. At _that_ party," He didn't have to specify which one he was talking about. "Ric kept forcing that girl Shelly onto me and I'd tell myself you'd moved on. So I went upstairs with her, but nothing happened."

"AJ, I saw her-"

"What you saw was her taking off her clothes and my shirt, and me backing out at the last moment. We barely even kissed; it was too awkward."

"Why didn't you tell me any of this?"

"You were furious. You didn't care what I had to say and at the time, I doubt you'd have believed me. I knew I had to wait for the right moment to say my bit," Another nervous laugh, "But then you started going out with Jeff and I knew I'd waited too long and blown it. So I went out with Carrie but once again, it was too awkward. No one compares to you, Leah, not in my eyes."

"You know Jeff and I aren't together anymore. Why didn't you come to my party?"

"Like I said, I thought I'd waited too long and blown it."

"It'll never be too long a wait, AJ. You'll never blow it. And I dunno if you'll like my truths, but I think I should tell you." Leah rubbed the sides of her head, trying to recount every event of the past couple of months. "I'll give you the short version because I don't know if I can handle rehashing every detail.

"I think I can handle it."

"Chris has liked me for years and we kissed. After I caught you with Shelly, I kissed Jeff. Jarrett, I should probably add. And obviously I started a relationship with Jeff Hardy, but you already knew that."

The last detail was no surprise to AJ, but the first two statements absolutely stumped him. His best friend Chris? His boss Jeff? How the hell was he supposed to respond?

"I guess you want an explanation for both of those, right?"

AJ nodded, speechless.

So she explained everything in as much detail as she could. Her jealousy over AJ's relationship with Ric, Chris' confessions and her kiss with him, the kiss with Jeff; anything she could remember was let out in the open for AJ to hear. He was right; they had to be honest with each other, even if the truth hurt. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"Sorry," He shook his head. "I just...I didn't realise any of that was going on."

"How were you supposed to?" She smiled. "But I guess it's better that you know. So where do we go from here?"

Something in that moment changed. AJ moved round on the carpet so he was no longer in front of Leah but sat behind her. He slid his arms around her waist, pulling her in close to him so she sat comfortably in the gap in-between his legs, as his chin rested against her shoulder. Instinctively, Leah leaned back into his touch, feeling more comfortable than she had in a very long time.

"We fit together Le," Leah watched as AJ laced his fingers through hers and stretched their hands out in front so they could both see them. "Cheesy as it may be, we're two halves of a whole and you know it."

Leah knew it. AJ knew her better than anyone else, probably better than she knew herself and when they were together, there was an undeniable spark. Even in their fights, there was a chemistry she didn't have with anyone else. Even their bodies were in sync, AJ wasn't the biggest guy – in the height sense – but Leah wasn't the tallest girl. Leaning against him felt right.

"I know," Her eyes fluttered as AJ placed a kiss on her shoulder where her t-shirt sleeve had slipped. Was it possible for a simple butterfly kiss to do that to her?

"Come on, Leah," He turned her around so their legs were behind the other person and they were face to face. "Stay in TNA, stay with me; we can make this work."

"I can't," She whispered.

"What?" Once again, his ex-girlfriend's words had left him completely shocked.

"I've got to go. I need to get out of here and make a fresh start away from TNA."

"But we just-"

"So much has happened AJ, I don't know if I can go through all this pain again." She wished at this point they were sat in their old positions so she didn't have to look at him. "I'm sorry and I'm glad we're on good terms again, but-"

"I can't believe this." Getting up from off the floor, AJ rushed out of the house before Leah could say anything else.

So much for ending on good terms.


	27. Here We Are

Second to last chapter :(  
I've wanted to do one like this for a while, just documenting Leah and AJ's friendship, to relationship.  
So...hope you enjoy it :)

* * *

**HERE WE ARE**

**

* * *

**

_**June 2002. Nashville. **_

"_This is it." Leah told herself, looking into the mirror of the women's locker room. She pulled her shoulder length brown hair into a short ponytail and placed a smile on her lips. "You've made it. This is your big break." _

_How had she got here? How had Jeff Jarrett, a legend, found her struggling on the indie circuit and offered her a contract with his new company? More importantly, why did he want her to be his manager? Somewhere up there, some had her back. _

"_Leah, you're on in five minutes." One of the backstage assistants stuck their head around the door but they were gone before Leah could even thank them. Nervously, she pulled her hair out of the ponytail again and ran her fingers through it. Did she look okay? She was managing the top guy in the TNA so looking good was important. By job, she was a wrestler but this was a new company and everyone had to start somewhere. With one final glance in the mirror, she smoothed out her top and left the locker room. _

_The backstage area was buzzing. It was the first night of TNA and everyone was buzzing, looking to make an impact. Including Leah. The company had potential and if she didn't shine, someone would be there to take her place. _

"_Excuse me," _

_She turned around and saw someone behind her. He was vaguely familiar, with short brown gelled hair and a boyishly handsome face. He wasn't as big as some of the other guys, though. Where did she know him from? He was wearing trunks and had to be a wrestler; had she worked with him before? _

"_I'm sorry, it's just...you look real familiar." He said with a smile. "Have we worked together before?" _

"_I dunno, but I recognise you too." She replied, squinting as she looked at him. _

"_I'm AJ Styles," He held out a hand, which she shook. _

"_Leah Willis. I'm sorry, but I've got a match to get to." She apologized. Damn, why was her match now? She wanted to talk to him for longer. "But that's gonna irritate me...AJ Styles," _

_AJ laughed, "Yeah, you'll be in my head all night."_

_She blushed. Of course he didn't mean it in that way, but a girl could dream. "I'll see you later, AJ." _

"_Good luck out there, Leah." _

_Walking away, it all came back to Leah. World Wrestling All-Stars earlier that year in Melbourne, Australia. She'd been managing one of the younger guys whilst AJ was facing Jerry Lyn for the title. How could she have forgotten? Backstage, she'd watched his match, absolutely mesmerized by the amazing athlete in the ring that was AJ Styles. All she knew was she hoped she'd see AJ Styles again soon. _

_

* * *

_

_**August 2006, Orlando**_

"_Leah?" AJ had been ringing the doorbell for about three minutes to no avail. Why wasn't she answering? She was the one that'd called him and told him to come over. He banged his fist against the door again, "Leah, open up!" _

_The brunette had been suspiciously quiet the past couple of days. Normally he was in contact with his best friend at least once a day so to not hear from her for days on end was definitely a sign that things weren't right. He couldn't think what the problem was; she'd been to visit her family a week prior and all was fine, she herself was in good health, it all seemed so strange. _

_With no other option, he pulled out his keys and grazed through them until he found Leah's – he was her best friend, of course he had a spare key. He unlocked the door, letting himself in. The house looked virtually untouched, everything still perfectly in place from when he'd been there earlier in the week whilst she was cleaning up. Something was wrong. He scanned the kitchen and living room downstairs before moving up the stairs. She wasn't in her bedroom, but when he pushed open the door of the ensuite, she was there. _

"_Leah?" He carefully approached her, not wanting to startle her. She was visibly shaking, cuddled up in a small ball on the bathroom floor, her back leaning against the wall of the tub. There were tears in her eyes and running down her cheeks and her lips were trembling. _

_She looked up at him through bleary eyes and with a trembling lower lip. "Jeff...went...back to the..." That was all she managed to say before bursting into tears again. _

_As much as he hated to admit it, AJ was not surprised that Jeff Hardy had broke his friend's heart. Hardy had been bad news ever since he'd arrived in TNA and he certainly wasn't a good influence on the usually sensible Leah. She'd taken up smoking, her training had taken a backseat to her newly partying lifestyle and if anything, she was distancing herself from those she once cared about the most. AJ fought to stay in Leah's life, though. It wasn't even that Jeff or Leah intended to become so isolated; it was infatuation. It wasn't a serious relationship, purely physical, but they were obsessed with each other. _

"_Babe," AJ sat down next to her and held her in his arms. She instantly wrapped her arms around his waist and cried into his chest, her tears soaking his t-shirt. "It's gonna be okay-"_

"_Why didn't he tell me?" She let out a loud wail before sobbing again. "He could've called me or texted me. Hell, we spent so much time together he could've told me face-to-face. But instead, I have to find out through that!" She signalled over to the other side of the bathroom where her laptop lay in a triangle pointing upwards. _

_AJ crawled over to pick it up and when he turned it over, he noticed a large crack in the screen. One of the wrestling websites had announced the resigning of Jeff Hardy to the WWE. "You shouldn't have thrown your laptop," AJ said with a hint of a smile. "It's expensive." _

"_Fuck off," Leah muttered. _

"_You don't want that-"_

"_Just fuck off, AJ!" She said a little louder, raising her knees up to her chin before burying her face in them. With a sigh, AJ got up and began walking towards the door, but he was stopped before he could. "Don't go," Leah whispered, looking up at him with the most innocent eyes AJ had ever seen. "Please, don't go." _

_He held out a hand and pulled her to her feet, wondering how long she'd been sat on the floor. Her jeans were slightly rumpled and her t-shirt had creased up so much it had folded, showing a chunk of thin stomach. Considering her training hadn't been in full swing, how had she stayed so in shape? Looking up at her face, he took in every bit of her. Her tear-glistened eyes, the glow of her cheeks and how her sloppy ponytail only showed off her high cheekbones. _

"_Why're you staring at me?" She asked cautiously, before daring to look at herself in the bathroom mirror. "Oh God, look at me!" And she allowed herself to laugh. "I'm a mess!" _

_Not in AJ's eyes. _

_

* * *

_

_**December 2009, Tacoma **_

_Who knew being sexy was such a pain in the ass? Leah thought to herself as she continued getting ready for the evening. She teased her brown hair into loose, bouncy curls and slipped into the black silk nightie she'd bought months before but never worn. Normally sexy wasn't very...her. She was definitely tomboyish and possibly even cute. But not sexy. Christy could do sexy. Traci could do sexy. She couldn't. _

_But AJ deserved a treat. He'd come to Tacoma to spend the holidays with Leah, her family and of course, her sick mother. He'd been ridiculously kind about the whole situation and now they were a couple, Leah's family loved AJ even more than they did before. _

_Since their arrival over a week earlier, this was the first night they'd had alone, as they'd been staying at Leah's sister Aubrey's house. But Aubrey was happy to give them some space for the night; she was going out with some friends before crashing at her mom's house so she could check on her, saving Leah and AJ a job. So Leah decided to...reward AJ for his patience. Any other boyfriend would've been out the door faster than a bullet. _

_And now, the lasagne was in the oven, the wine was chilling in the fridge and Leah was making herself look nice. AJ had gone to pick up some medication at the pharmacy before dropping it off at her mother's house. He wouldn't be gone for long, so everything she did had to be done at speed. Every room was lit with candles – well only the rooms she planned on using, the kitchen and bedroom – to give a romantic atmosphere. _

"_Hey!" The sound of the front door opening was followed by AJ calling up the stairs. "I got back as soon as I could! Are you alright? This storm is crazy!" _

"_Storm?" Leah rushed over to window and yanked open the curtains to find the rain thrashing down. _

"_Yeah, the power's-" AJ came into the bedroom and started removing his wet coat but stopped when he saw Leah, letting his coat fall to the ground. "Oh my God. You look amazing." _

_She blushed, but only for a second before she remembered what he just said. "What did you say about the power?" _

"_The city's gone into a blackout. It's insane." _

"_You're kidding?" Leah repeatedly flicked the light switch to check only for AJ to be proven right. She hadn't even noticed as everything had been candle lit and none of the lights were on and her – portable – iPod speakers had covered up any sounds of rain. "Oh my God!" She rushed down to the kitchen and found the lasagnes in the oven still as stone-cold as when she'd put them in. "Shit!" _

"_Leah, what's going on?" AJ came into the kitchen with a hint of a smile on his face. "Candles, lasagne, you looking...was all this for me?" _

_She nodded, suddenly feeling humiliated about how wrong everything had turned out. "I just wanted the evening to be nice for us. We haven't spent any time together, just the two of us, since we arrived and with Aubrey going out, I thought I'd make it special. But unfortunately, that didn't go to plan." She placed the uncooked tray of lasagne down on the worktop and sighed, leaning back against the – probably lukewarm – refrigerator. Great. The food was cold and the wine was warm. _

_And to make matters worse, AJ was laughing. _

"_What's so funny?" _

"_You." He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in close. "You're amazing,"_

_She tilted her head downwards so he couldn't see her blushing. "I'm really not-"_

"_Yeah, you are." He kissed her gently on the lips. "You didn't need to go to all this effort for me. I don't care if we're eating cold lasagne and drinking warm wine, it doesn't matter because I'm with you and there's nowhere else I'd rather be." _

"_In that case," Leah released herself from his grasp and went back to the fridge. She pulled out the bottle of wine and poured two glasses before handing one to AJ. "Cheers." _

"_Cheers," They both sipped the wine, before tactfully placing the glasses down. "So the first half of the evening didn't exactly go to plan," He took hold of one of the spaghetti straps on her nightie before letting it slide down her arm so he could kiss her shoulder. "How about we take the warm wine upstairs and get started on stage two?" He picked her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist and kiss him with more passion than before. _

"_You're amazing, AJ." She grabbed the bottle and allowed him to carry her upstairs, as she giggled like a schoolgirl._

* * *

"Anything else you need us to take, Miss Willis?" One of the delivery men asked, as they continued piling her boxes into the van.

This was it. Moving day. Seeing the large van outside her house and her boxes sitting on the curb made it seem a lot more real than ever. Her friends had offered to come and help but she refused; having them say goodbye at the last minute would just bring her to tears and she didn't want to shed anymore tears than she already had.

"Just the ones I've put next to the van," She called back, walking over to the pile of boxes.

There was one that wasn't sealed up, the cardboard flaps open. She peaked inside and saw it was her 'Memory Box', filled with photo frames of her TNA friends. The moving men had things under control, so she took a moment to look through it. Everyone was there; Christy, Joe, Traci, Frankie, Chris, Taylor, Jeff Jarrett and Hardy and of course, AJ. One specific photo she found brought a lump to her throat.

It was different to the one she'd seen in AJ's bedroom the night he hadn't slept with the blonde in the bathroom but it was taken the same day. Taken some point in 2007, she loved the photo. When it was right there in front of her, she took in every little detail. It was a full length shot taken on a day trip to Disneyworld and they were outside the gates of the Magic Kingdom. If memory served her correctly, they'd got a stranger to take it. Leah was wearing an AJ Styles t-shirt, denim shorts and sneakers and AJ was in cargo shorts, an Adidas t-shirt and sneakers. She had an arm wrapped around his waist and her head rested against his shoulder; they weren't even a couple at this point.

"Cute couple."

Turning around, she expected to see one of the delivery men stood behind her, but instead, she was greeted by AJ.

"They weren't even a couple," She smiled, putting the photo back in the box and grabbing some duct tape from the backseat of her car to seal it up.

"I guess even back then they weren't mean to be together," AJ grinned, placing a hand on her upper arm. She flinched, moving away to put the memory box into her car. "There's nothing I've done that's going to change your mind about going?"

Leah shook her head.

"Well, maybe this will."

Tenderly, he pressed his lips against hers but without even thinking, Leah responded passionately, her body pressing against his and her tongue roaming affectionately in his mouth. _We fit together_. His hands slotted against her hips and her arms wrapped around his neck, only allowing the kiss to deepen.

Quickly, Leah pulled away. What was she doing? She was supposed to be leaving in a couple of minutes and this would just confuse any decision making. Letting her lips do the thinking was never going end happily. She closed her eyes to shut him out but his voice was still there.

"Don't tell me that kiss meant nothing to you," AJ rested his forehead against hers, his breath warm and comforting against her skin. "Don't lie to me and don't lie to yourself; this isn't over. It's never going to be over."

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes again, taking everything about him in. What was a girl to do?

"You gonna stay with me, Leah?" He asked, moving back. "What's it gonna be?"

* * *

Sorry to leave you hanging!  
What's Leah going to do? Make a fresh start with the WWE or stay with AJ?  
Remember, the next chapter is the last one!  
Please leave a **review** :)


	28. You, Me and Him

Final chapter is here :( :)

* * *

**YOU, ME AND HIM**

**

* * *

**

_**Two months later. **_

The warm rays of Florida sunshine beat down onto Leah, forcing her to roll up the sleeves of her hooded sweatshirt and to slip on her sunglasses. Normally when she returned from the north, the heat was unbearable, but this time, it was familiar and a total relief. The humidity was just a nice reminder that she was back.

Peeling her black trucker cap off her sweaty hairline and placing it in her handbag, she allowed the sun to hit her scalp. She didn't want to burn; just to be able to feel the warmth on her head. As the cap entered her bag, she felt her cell phone vibrating against her hand. Someone was calling her.

"Hello?"

"_Hey, where are you?" _

"I'm outside the airport. Why? Where're you?"

"_I'm outside the airport! I can't see you!" _

Leah scanned her eyes around until she caught sight of a familiar black SUV parked across the road and an even more familiar face sat inside. "Use your eyes, doofus." She crossed the road and over to the car, tapping on the window.

"You're back!" AJ jumped out of the car and allowed Leah to throw herself into his arms, before placing a hell of a kiss on his lips. "I've missed you."

"It's been awhile, hasn't it? Two months seems like two years." Leah smiled, getting into the passenger seat of the car and waiting for AJ to start the engine. "It was really good though."

"You need to tell me everything."

"I spoke to you on the phone every day." Leah laughed.

"I want to hear it again."

So she filled him in on the full story. AJ had begged her to stay in Florida and stay with him but legal technicalities meant Leah still had to go to Connecticut, which she did. She went to Connecticut and cancelled her WWE contract. It was a big decision for the brunette but in the end, she chose her heart over her head. Vince would find another diva to fill her shoes but Leah wouldn't find another AJ. Now, she was unemployed. Not a member of TNA or WWE, something she found both exhilarating and terrifying. She wouldn't be wrestling for a long time but that was for more reasons than one.

"Was Vince mad?" AJ asked, pulling into their house. Considering Leah had sold her house with plans to move back to Tacoma, she was now homeless. This gave AJ the perfect opportunity to ask her to move in with him, which she was going to.

Leah shook her head, watching as AJ dragged her suitcase out of the trunk of his car before he handed her the keys so she could unlock the house. "Not really. I mean, he was disappointed but he said he understood. Regardless of what people say, he isn't the dragon he's made out to be; in fact, he was really sweet and understanding."

"How's the family?" Of course, Leah didn't spend two months sorting out contracts. Despite getting back with AJ, she needed a holiday and going back home again was the perfect escape.

"They're all fine." She nodded. "It feels like _finally_ we're all able to move on from mom's death. We've all spent so long being upset, it's like we've forgotten how to appreciate the time we had with her. I want to remember her for all the happy years we spent, not the bad times."

"You went to see Chris, right? How is he?"

Going into this trip, Leah wanted to make amends with everyone and that included her estranged friend Chris Daniels. That meant showing up at a Ring of Honor show in Chicago and refusing to leave him alone until he spoke to her. Maybe it wasn't the most mature approach but she didn't know how else to go about it.

"Actually, he's pretty good."

"Did you speak to him about...?" AJ came out of the kitchen holding two beers, handing one to Leah. "You know,"

"Yeah, we spoke about it." She nodded, accepting the beer but tentatively placing it down on the coffee table. "I take it this is all you have, considering you haven't had my female influence around."

"Well, without you I haven't been sitting around, painting my toenails, drinking white wine and watching 90210." He grinned. "Anyway, tell me what happened with Chris."

"I told him I didn't want to ruin almost a decade of friendship and he might be willing to let me slip through his fingers, but I'm not doing the same with him." She said decisively. "So we literally spent a night talking things through and now we're back to where we started."

"In a good way?"

Leah nodded. "All is right in the world. Plus, he told me to tell you to call him, because it's been way too long since he heard from his best friend!"

The pair sat in silence, as AJ sipped his beer and Leah simply stared at hers. After a couple of seconds, she leaned over to kiss AJ, allowing her lips to linger against his for a moment as she wondered how long she could put off telling him.

AJ smiled suspiciously as Leah pulled away. "What was that for?"

"I just..." She paused, her eyes falling back onto the beer. "I just want to tell you that I love you no matter what, okay?"

"Leah, you're scaring me," AJ wiped his forehead, feeling beads of sweat forming that weren't because of the heat. He gripped her hands tightly, wondering why she was acting this way. She didn't look upset or unhinged anyway, other than a look of nerves, she looked reasonably healthy. Glowing, you could say. So what was the problem?

Sticking a hand into the back pocket of her black linen trousers, she pulled out a small photograph and handed it to AJ.

"It's a sonogram," AJ said quietly, running his finger over to picture. "Wait, does this mean-"

Leah bit down on her lip to contain the grin that was already spreading onto her face. "You're gonna be a daddy."

He didn't say anything for a moment, digesting what Leah had just told him, before he looked up from the picture. "I'm gonna be a daddy?"

"Yes, you are." Her smile faded, noticing he was still straight-faced. "I'm twenty-one weeks pregnant." Standing up, she slowly slipped out of the grey sweatshirt to reveal a healthily rounded belly.

"I'm gonna be a daddy," AJ said again quietly. He looked up at Leah; his beautiful girlfriend and her bulging stomach. "I'm gonna be a daddy!" He exclaimed, getting down on his knees and kissing her belly. "Holy crap, the baby just kicked!"

Leah ran her fingers through AJ's hair, looking down on him. "Obviously he loves his daddy."

"He?"

She nodded, "We're having a baby boy!"

"We're having a baby boy!" AJ leapt to his feet and kissed his girlfriend hard on the mouth, before tears slipped from his eyes. "Oh my God, we're having a baby boy." He pulled away to hold her hands, "When did you find out? Tell me everything!"

This was why Leah wanted to wait to tell AJ the news in person instead of over the phone. She wanted _this_ moment and _that_ reaction. They sat down on the couch and she explained everything to him; how she missed her period and began feeling nauseous in Tacoma and how she'd been so scared that her sister Aubrey had to come to her first doctor's appointment with her. Not to mention how excited she'd been when she found out she was having a baby boy and not just a bad case of food poisoning.

"And it's definitely mine?" AJ confirmed. "He's not gonna come out with rainbow hair and armbands?"

Leah laughed, placing a hand on AJ's chest. "Jeff and I were always very safe. You, on the other hand, are very sloppy when it comes to using a rubber."

"Hey, I asked you to put it on for me!" AJ laughed back, feeling Leah sit back against him. Yeah, they did fit together, even with her pregnant stomach. "Besides, if it weren't for my sloppy sex ed classes, we wouldn't even have that little boy right there," He prodded her stomach, only to receive another kick.

"He's gonna be pelé-ing his way out of my womb," Leah giggled, resting her hands on her stomach and looking up at AJ. "You're happy about this, right?"

AJ nodded; he'd never been happier. "I want to do it all with you, Leah. I'd marry you right now if I could-"

"Let's take this one step at a time," Leah stopped him, despite the fact she was bubbling over with happiness. "I think a baby is enough to think about, let's talk marriage once AJ Junior is out."

"Well, does that rule out engagements?" AJ pulled a small black box out of his pocket and put it – rather comically – on top of Leah's stomach. "I planned to propose to you when you got back but the baby thing kinda threw me-"

"Oh my God," Leah opened up the box and was greeted by a sparkling diamond engagement ring. "You can't propose now! I have pregnancy swollen fingers!"

AJ laughed, observing Leah's hand and slipping the ring onto the correct finger. "It fits like a glove."

He paused, getting down on one knee in front of her.

"Leah Willis, we've known each other for eight stressful years. There's been some really good times and some really bad times but something tells me it's only sunshine from here on in. If you do me the honour of becoming my wife, I promise to never hurt you again. I promise you I'll take care of you until we're old and crippled from wrestling-related injuries and I promise to be the best father possible to our baby boy and anymore children we choose to have."

"I know you're going to be the best father in the world-"

"Once we've had this baby, Leah Willis, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

Resting a hand on his cheek, Leah felt her eyes filling with tears. "I'm already a pregnant, emotional wreck, look what you're doing to me!" She pressed her lips against his, cupping his chin in her hand. "Yes, yes I'll marry you!"

"You won't regret this," He told her confidently, before leaning down to kiss her stomach. "And neither will you."

Something told Leah that AJ was right. They had so much to look forward to; the birth of their son and hopefully more children to come, a marriage and a life together. Not everything had been roses in their relationship but Leah knew that things could only look up.

And looking into her fiancée's eyes only confirmed that.

* * *

Okay, so I know it was a mushy, fluffy finish but I thought that Leah and AJ deserved to have their fairytale ending.  
I considered a bunch of different endings: Leah going to the WWE and starting fresh, AJ turning out to be a total bastard and choosing Ric over her, Leah staying in TNA and choosing Jeff over AJ, Leah choosing Chris over everyone and finding love with him... or Leah and AJ just realising they loved each other and being happy with that. But this was a much needed ending I thought :)  
When it comes to a sequel, if I were to do one, it wouldn't happen for a while as I'm focusing on my other fics, but never say never :) I've loved writing this and I'd love to pick up their story a couple of years on.

Finally, I need to thank _Bubblyjayy, wAcKiEjAcKie826, I'mxAxRockstar, VolcomStoneBabe, Pinayprincesa, Nelly Love, Soliepower, BourneBetter67_ and _Caged Black Sparkle _for reviewing :) A special thanks need to go to the first four for being really consistant with reviewing - it really gave me the motivation to continue this story :) Also, thank you to everything that favourited/subbed.

Hope you all enjoyed the storyyy :) Melissa Xx


End file.
